U.S. Senator Katie Britt has been working hard for months to get the Laken Riley Act passed in the Senate. The legislation, originally introduced in the House of Representatives, would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of illegal aliens who commit theft or burglary. Additionally, it would allow state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.
On Thursday, the bill named after a young Georgia woman brutally murdered by an illegal alien finally gained traction and advanced through the upper chamber in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion.
Prior to the vote, Britt (R-Montgomery) took to the Senate floor to once again make the case for the Laken Riley Act.
“There was no reason — no reason at all — that she should no longer be with us,” said Britt. “Her killer, who came to this country illegally, should never have been in the United States. Once he had been arrested for multiple crimes before committing the most heinous, unimaginable crime, he should have been detained by ICE immediately. Had that been the case, Laken’s family and Laken herself would face a very different reality. They’d be celebrating a birthday, not approaching the one-year anniversary of her murder.”
Britt released a statement following the vote to advance the legislation.
“Today’s vote on the Laken Riley Act is an important step forward in making our country safer, but there’s still more work to be done to get this commonsense legislation across the finish line,” Britt said.“Laken’s horrific murder should never have happened. While we cannot bring Laken back, Congress can and must pass the Laken Riley Act to save American lives and prevent this tragedy from repeating itself. Congress has an obligation to Laken, her family, and to Americans in every corner of our country to get this bill passed and signed into law.”
The Laken Riley Act was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and passed the House of Representatives this week by a bipartisan vote of 264 to 159, with 48 Democrats voting in favor.
The vote to advance the legislation took place on the eve of what would have been Riley’s 23rd birthday.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten.
