The United States Senate passed the Laken Riley Act on Monday, a bill that requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take illegal aliens who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of crimes such as theft, burglary, shoplifting, or larceny into custody.
In a 64-35 vote, the U.S. Senate passed the Laken Riley Act, hours after President Donald Trump was inaugurated into office.
Twelve Democrats were reported to have voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act, according to the Hill.
Prior to the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) stated that the Laken Riley Act would “ensure that illegal aliens who steal or assault a law enforcement officer” would be detained “instead of being allowed out on the streets.”
“This legislation will ensure that illegal aliens who steal or assault a law enforcement officer are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement instead of being allowed out on the streets,” Thune said. “I’m looking forward to getting this legislation to the president’s desk.”
🚨 #BREAKING: The Senate has passed the Laken Riley Act 64-35
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 20, 2025
President Trump will soon sign it into law. pic.twitter.com/CZgSoBrfGb
The passing of the Laken Riley Act comes after the House of Representatives passed the bill at the beginning of January, with 159 Democrats opposing the bill.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who has been one of the Democrats in favor of the Laken Riley Act, wrote that he had voted in favor of the “final passage of the Laken Riley Act,” highlighting that wanting a secure border and being “pro-immigration” are “fully compatible.”
“A secure border + pro-immigration are fully compatible,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X. “I proudly voted AYE on final passage of the Laken Riley Act. And I am looking for legislative solutions to protect our Dreamers.”
A secure border + pro-immigration are fully compatible.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) January 20, 2025
I proudly voted AYE on final passage of the Laken Riley Act.
And I am looking for legislative solutions to protect our Dreamers.
The Laken Riley Act is named after 22-year-old Laken Riley, who was murdered on February 22, 2024, in Athens, Georgia, by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien who had “crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas” in September 2022.
The DHS under the Biden administration released Ibarra into the United States interior with parole, “citing a lack of available detention space.”
As Breitbart News’s John Binder previously reported, in November 2024, Ibarra was convicted on all counts of murdering Riley.
DHS sources previously reported an estimation that the Laken Riley Act would cost between $20 and $30 million.
