Laken Riley Act: Why did US name law on illegal immigrants after the Riley murder?

U.S. President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (January 29, 2025) signed the Laken Riley Act into law, giving federal authorities broader power to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have been accused of crimes.

The Republican-led House on January 22 gave its final approval to the bill that requires the detainment of unauthorised immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, marking the first legislation that U.S. President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support, swiftly moved in line with his plans to crackdown on “illegal immigration”.

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What is the Laken Riley Act?

The new law mandates the federal detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.

The Act also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for alleged failures in immigration enforcement.

Who was Laken Riley?

The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia. She was murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant living in the U.S. illegally. He was found guilty of Riley’s murder in November 2024 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

How is the new law going to impact the future?

Donald Trump has not only promised to increase deportations drastically, but he also said at the signing that some of the people being sent back to their home countries couldn’t be counted on to stay there.

“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,” Mr. Trump said. He said that he’d direct federal officials to get facilities in Cuba ready to receive immigrant criminals.

The White House announced a short time later that Mr. Trump had signed a presidential memorandum on Guantanamo. Migrant rights groups quickly expressed dismay.

(With inputs from agencies)