On March 7 the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act,as legislation to give ICE and state governments more tools in the fight against illegal alien crime. The bill passed 251-170, with 37 Democrats joining all House Republicans in support.
Republican Representative Mike Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th congressional district (locally including Greene, Jasper, Morgan, and Putnam counties), authored the bill. The Laken Riley Act mandates federal detention of migrants who commit burglary or theft and allows states to file suit against the federal government for failing to enforce immigration laws.
It came in response to the Feb. 22 murder of nursing student Riley, while she was out for a morning run at the UGA campus in Athens. Arrested shortly afterward was Venezuelan citizen Jose Antonio Ibarra, who in September 2022 entered the United States illegally. Ibarra has been charged with felony murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra was cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department last year and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in December 2023 after he failed to appear in court to address the charge. He also had been previously arrested in New York City on charges of driving a scooter without a license and endangering a child aboard who was not wearing a helmet.
“While we can’t bring Laken back, we must now turn our focus to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening to another American,” Collins said during the debate on the bill. “The Laken Riley Act is a key piece in our fight to restore the rule of law and get criminal illegal aliens off our streets.”
The Laken Riley Act bill next moves to the Democrat-led Senate, where it will face a decidedly uphill battle to pass but undoubtedly will apply pressure to upcoming elections.