President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Laken Riley Act as his administration’s first piece of legislation, fulfilling his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
The law requires federal immigration authorities to detain illegal migrants accused of theft, burglary, or assaulting a law enforcement officer, and allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused by illegal immigration. The act is named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered in February 2024 by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with multiple prior arrests, including for shoplifting and child endangerment.
The legislation is part of a broader Republican push to strengthen border security following record-high illegal crossings. Under the Biden administration, an estimated 8 million migrants entered the United States illegally, and more than 13,000 migrants convicted of murder remain at large, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“To have a bill of such importance named after her is … a great tribute,” Trump said before the signing at a conference of House Republicans. “This new form of crime, criminal, illegal aliens, it’s massive. The numbers are massive and you add that to the crime we already had.”
The bill passed the Republican-controlled Congress with bipartisan support earlier this month. It first cleared the House of Representatives last March with a bipartisan 251-170 vote but was blocked by the then-Democrat-controlled Senate.
The bipartisan support, Trump said, “shows the potential for additional enforcement bills that will help us crack down on criminal aliens and totally restore the rule of law in our country.”
Democratic senator John Fetterman (Pa.), who attended the signing at the White House, affirmed his support in a statement Wednesday morning. “I believe a secure border creates a more secure nation and it’s just common sense,” Fetterman said. “I believe a stronger border is fully compatible with my commitment to immigration.”
Jose Ibarra, who has been sentenced to life in prison for Riley’s murder, illegally entered the United States through El Paso in September 2022 and was released via parole just one day after being taken into custody. Months later, he murdered Riley.
House Republicans have introduced several other border-security bills, including the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, and proposals to cut federal funding for sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
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