Lafayette Reporter

Sen. John Kennedy and Sen. Katie Britt have introduced the Laken Riley Act, a legislative measure aimed at compelling the Biden administration's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants who commit specific crimes before they can potentially commit more offenses.

Kennedy emphasized the importance of the Laken Riley Act, stating, "The Laken Riley Act would get criminal aliens out of our country before they further victimize innocent Americans." The Act is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant who had previously been arrested for shoplifting, but was not detained by ICE.

According to Kennedy, the legislation would mandate ICE to detain illegal immigrants who engage in theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses until they are removed from the country. In addition, the Act would grant states the authority to take legal action against federal officials who fail to enforce immigration laws or violate them.

Senator Britt echoed Kennedy's sentiments, attributing Laken Riley's tragic murder to what she described as "willful open border policies by President Biden and his administration." She expressed gratitude for the bipartisan support the House of Representatives' counterpart bill, H.R. 7511, received, urging Senate Majority Leader Schumer to swiftly bring the bill to the Senate floor.

The Laken Riley Act serves as a response to the growing concerns surrounding the handling of criminal illegal immigrants by the Biden administration. Kennedy had previously demanded answers from DHS Secretary Mayorkas regarding Riley's suspected murderer being paroled into the U.S. and later called for impeachment charges against Mayorkas for his parole determinations for illegal immigrants.

The introduction of the Laken Riley Act follows Kennedy's involvement in advocating for transparency at the southern border through the Southern Border Transparency Act, which aims to disclose catch-and-release data by DHS, including the number of paroled migrants by the Biden administration. The full text of the Laken Riley Act is available for further review.