President Donald Trump has signed the Laken Riley Act into law. This legislation mandates the detention of illegal aliens charged with certain crimes, such as theft, and permits state attorneys general to sue a federal administration that does not enforce immigration laws. The act is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by Jose Ibarra, an illegal alien.
Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, commented on the new law: "While this legislation is a step in the right direction, it should be the first of much more border and immigration legislation, starting with a bill that provides significant resources and funding for ICE."
Ries emphasized the need for further actions: "Now that they have a mandate to fix immigration and border security, policymakers should immediately provide the resources necessary to operationalize millions of deportation each year, prioritize the American worker over foreign labor, end once and for all the loopholes that the Biden Administration was able to weaponize, end amnesty of any kind, and end the funding of nonprofits that facilitate illegal immigration, both home and abroad."
Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, also expressed his views: "That the Laken Riley Act is the first legislation signed in Trump’s second term shows his commitment to fulfill the promise he made to the American people to control our borders and restore the rule of law to immigration."
Hankinson further stated: "This law will require the detention of some criminal aliens who are a threat to public safety, making our communities less vulnerable to preventable crimes from inadmissible aliens who should not be here in the first place."
He criticized previous policies under President Biden's administration: "The Biden-Harris administration allowed thousands of dangerous aliens like Jose Ibarra to enter the country under bogus parole programs or via 'catch-and-release' at the border, with no verification of their identity. Sadly, many others like Ibarra continue to present an ongoing risk to public safety."
Hankinson concluded by emphasizing what he sees as necessary action: "The Laken Riley Act is a needed step in ending the lawlessness at our borders that has consequences in every corner of the country."
