On Feb. 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, was murdered while jogging at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Her tragic death led to widespread concern about students’ safety on campus as well as the dangers women face every day. And, because the horrific act was carried out by a man who had entered the United States illegally, it became a lightning rod for discourse about immigration. Now, Congress is attempting to pass an immigration bill in Riley’s name. But what is the Laken Riley Bill, exactly, and why is it the center of so much controversy?
First, the basics: The Laken Riley Act — known in Congress as House Resolution 7511 — is an immigration bill that outlines multiple legal requirements for the Department of Homeland Security to follow when enforcing immigration policy. If signed into law, it would do two things: It would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain non-U.S. nationals who have already been arrested for various minor crimes (including burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting), and it would allow for states to sue the federal government for alleged failures when it comes to immigration enforcement or immigration enforcement decisions that cause harm to the state or its residents. In short: It will greatly crack down on immigration.
As of Jan. 20, the Laken Riley Act passed the Senate with bipartisan support, which means it will now go to the House of Representatives for a vote. Considering the House already voted to pass a similar version of this bill earlier in the month before the Senate amended it, this Senate-approved version is expected to pass. From there, it will go to President Donald Trump, whose tough-on-immigration stance indicates he would sign it into law.
Why Is The Laken Riley Act Facing Controversy?
The Laken Riley Act has garnered national media attention due to its strictness on immigration. The man who killed Riley — who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole — is an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York for a motor vehicle license violation and acting in a manner to injure a child under 17. Ibarra’s past criminal record and status as an undocumented immigrant immediately became the focus of how and why Riley was killed, and according to many lawmakers, stricter border control laws could have prevented this tragedy.
However, many immigration advocates have warned that the bill is far more harmful to immigrants than necessary and will not truly make a difference in keeping communities safe. Opponents of the bill also argue that the bill will have broad implications to scapegoat the entire immigrant community.
“The fact is that the Laken Riley Act will not prevent violence against women or fix our broken immigration system,” a statement from the youth-led political organization Voters of Tomorrow argued on Jan. 13. Additionally, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights stated in a Jan. 16 release, “The senseless murder of Laken Riley should not be used to justify making unprecedented changes to immigration detention laws that will invite more discrimination and do little to increase public safety.”
Ultimately, the Laken Riley Act could serve as foreshadowing for what future bills about immigration could look like in Trump’s second term, and those on all sides of the aisle will be watching closely to see what happens next.