House Passes Bill to Honor Laken Riley and Support Public Safety

Washington, DC – Today, House Republicans delivered a decisive victory for public safety with the passage of H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act. This bill, named in honor of a young woman whose life was tragically cut short by a criminal illegal alien, seeks to correct the systemic failures of our immigration policies that have prioritized foreign criminals over American lives. 

Illegal aliens who enter the U.S. unlawfully and commit crimes represent an unchecked threat to homeland security. Currently, official estimates put the number of illegal aliens granted safe harbor by the Biden Administration at over 12 million, but some estimates say that number is as high as 25 million. Laken Riley’s murder, committed by an illegal alien protected from deportation by the Biden Administration’s weak immigration policies, exemplifies the deadly consequences of ignorant pro-illegal immigration policies. These tragedies could be easily prevented if Democrats valued the lives of young Americans as much as they value appeasing open-border advocates. 

Rep. Harriet Hageman stated: “My heart breaks for Laken Riley and her family, and when tragedies like this happen, it is our duty as lawmakers to act. The Biden Administration’s immigration policies have turned every state into a border state, jeopardizing the safety of communities across the nation. The same open-border policies that allowed Laken’s murderer to roam free after committing multiple crimes are allowing drugs, violence, and lawlessness to permeate every corner of our nation, including Wyoming. H.R. 29 will ensure that illegal aliens who commit crimes like theft are detained and deported, making our communities safer and saving innocent lives.”

Background:
Laken Riley was a vibrant young nursing student whose promising future was stolen by an illegal alien. The man who murdered her had been arrested for theft just months prior but was released by local authorities due to ICE’s failure to issue a detainer. This failure stems from the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws as written, prioritizing leniency over justice. H.R. 29 mandates that illegal aliens committing theft and similar crimes are detained and deported. This bill also allows states to file civil lawsuits against federal officials who support open-border policies, fail to enforce immigration laws, or act unlawfully in ways that harm American citizens.