Laken Riley Act: Trump’s First Law of His Second Term Targets Illegal Immigrants

Laken Riley Act: Trump’s First Law of His Second Term Targets Illegal Immigrants

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the first piece of legislation of his second term, the Laken Riley Act. The law grants federal authorities expanded powers to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who have been accused of committing certain crimes, including shoplifting. Trump also revealed plans to send the "worst criminal aliens" to a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“This is a landmark law that’s going to save countless innocent American lives,” Trump said from the White House after signing the bill.

The bipartisan legislation is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally. During the ceremony, which included Riley’s parents and sister, Trump expressed his condolences and said, "It's a tremendous tribute to your daughter what's taking place today. It's so sad we have to be doing it."

Trump has long pledged to intensify efforts against illegal immigration and increase deportations. At the signing, he explained that some deported migrants would be sent to Guantanamo Bay, noting, “Some of them are so bad that we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re gonna send 'em out to Guantanamo."

Trump also stated that Guantanamo has the capacity to hold 30,000 people, specifically "the worst criminal aliens threatening the American people."

Following the signing, the White House issued a statement confirming that Trump had also signed a memorandum regarding Guantanamo, which would now house "dangerous criminals" and individuals deemed "hard to deport."

Key Provisions of the Laken Riley Act

The Laken Riley Act was introduced by Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia. It mandates that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested for crimes like larceny, burglary, theft, or assaulting a police officer—even if they haven’t been convicted. The mere accusation of a crime is enough for detention and potential deportation.

The law also includes a provision allowing state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security if they believe their state or residents are being harmed by federal immigration policies. This could give conservative states more influence over national immigration policy.

"The bill directly addresses one of the federal policy failures related to Laken Riley's murder," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, referring to the fact that Riley’s killer, Jose Ibarra, was an illegal immigrant who had previously been cited for shoplifting. If ICE had been notified earlier, Johnson argued, Riley might still be alive.

Despite some Democratic support, the bill faced criticism for potentially leading to the mass detention of people over minor offenses like shoplifting. Critics also warned that it could be used to exploit a tragedy for political gain, with little to show for real crime reduction or meaningful immigration reform.

Who Was Laken Riley?

Laken Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, killed in February 2024 by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national illegally in the U.S. Ibarra, who had been arrested for illegal entry in 2022, was released to pursue his case in immigration court but was later arrested twice—once for child endangerment in New York and once for shoplifting in Georgia.

Ibarra was convicted of Riley's murder in November 2024 and sentenced to life without parole.

Riley’s mother, present at the signing, expressed her gratitude to Trump, saying, “He said he would secure our borders and he would never forget about Laken, and he hasn’t.”

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