House Approves ‘Laken Riley Act,’ Mandating DHS Detain Criminal Illegal Aliens

House Republicans, and a few dozen House Democrats, passed the “Laken Riley Act,” which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegal aliens like Jose Antonio Ibarra, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia.

On February 22, 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was found murdered in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus after she had gone for a morning run. The following day, Ibarra from Venezuela was arrested and charged with her murder.

Months before Riley’s murder, Ibarra was issued a citation for shoplifting in Athens and was later issued a bench warrant for failing to appear in court on those charges. Despite the charge, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not take him into custody.

The Laken Riley Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), would require the DHS to take into custody illegal aliens arrested, charged, or convicted for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address, 37 House Democrats joined House Republicans to pass the legislation. Meanwhile, 170 House Democrats voted against the legislation, while 11 House members did not vote.

“Innocent Americans from Laken Riley in Georgia to the 14-year-old rape victim of an illegal immigrant in our home state of Louisiana,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said before the legislation’s passage. “They’ve all been victimized by those whom the Biden administration has released into our country. He is releasing them into your state.”

Ibarra first arrived at the United States-Mexico border in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. interior thanks to Biden’s parole pipeline. Lawmakers have estimated that millions of illegal aliens have been released into the U.S. interior on Biden’s watch.

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In August 2023, Ibarra was arrested and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child in the sanctuary city of New York City. Before ICE agents could issue a detainer for Ibarra, he was released from jail.

Then, in October 2023, Ibarra was issued a citation for shoplifting some $200 worth of items from a Walmart in Athens. In December 2023, when Ibarra failed to appear in court for the charges, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter here.