President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, marking it as his administration’s first piece of legislation. The law mandates the detention and potential deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are accused of committing theft or violent crimes before being convicted. The measure passed quickly through a Republican-controlled Congress with some Democratic support, despite criticism from immigrant rights advocates who warn it could lead to mass detentions for minor offenses, such as shoplifting.
The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, who was killed in February 2024 by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national living in the U.S. illegally. Ibarra was convicted in November and sentenced to life in prison without parole for Riley’s murder. Trump, at a conference of House Republicans, emphasized that this legislation could be the beginning of further enforcement measures aimed at addressing illegal immigration and restoring law and order.
Under the Laken Riley Act, federal officials are required to detain immigrants arrested for crimes such as theft, assault, or any offense that leads to injury or death. The law also grants state attorneys general the authority to sue the U.S. government over immigration decisions, potentially allowing conservative states to influence federal immigration policies.
While conservatives praised the law, calling it necessary for crime prevention, critics argue that it could lead to mass detentions of individuals who have not been convicted of crimes. Advocacy groups, such as the ACLU, expressed concerns over the potential for prolonged detention based on accusations alone, without due process. There are also worries about the additional costs of expanding immigration detention facilities.
This law follows a series of executive actions by the Trump administration focused on tightening immigration enforcement, including the cancellation of refugee resettlement and plans to prosecute local law enforcement that do not comply with federal immigration policies.
