President Donald Trump will sign the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, marking his administration’s initial legislative action. This act mandates detention and potential deportation for undocumented individuals accused of theft and violent crimes, even before conviction.
The Republican-controlled Congress passed the measure rapidly, with some Democratic support, despite criticism from immigrant rights advocates who consider it excessively harsh and potentially leading to mass arrests for minor offenses like shoplifting.
Trump, who has prioritized an unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration, suggests this law is only the beginning of his enforcement efforts.
“This demonstrates the potential for further enforcement legislation to combat criminal aliens and fully restore the rule of law,” the president stated at a House Republican conference at his Florida golf club.
The law is named for Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student murdered in 2024 by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan national. Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in November.
“Having such an important bill named after her is a great tribute,” Trump said. “This new wave of crime from criminal, illegal aliens is massive.”
The swift congressional passage and Trump’s planned White House signing ceremony—only nine days after his inauguration—hold strong political symbolism for conservatives. Critics argue the measure exploits a tragedy to inflict cruelty and chaos, offering little crime reduction or immigration system reform.
The Laken Riley Act requires federal authorities to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes such as theft, assaulting a police officer, or offenses resulting in injury or death. It also empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government for damages caused by immigration decisions, potentially allowing conservative states to influence federal immigration policy.
Ibarra had been arrested for illegal entry in 2022 and released; he was later arrested for child endangerment in 2023 and subsequently released. He was also suspected of theft in Georgia before Riley’s murder.
“This is the right course of action,” stated House Speaker Mike Johnson. “It’s ideal when the right thing is also popular.”
However, some Democrats question the act’s constitutionality. Immigrant advocates anticipate mass detentions and the ensuing need for expensive new detention facilities.
“They aren’t merely celebrating; they’re using this for their mass deportation agenda,” commented Naureen Shah of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU asserts the act allows for mandatory detention—potentially for years—based on past, potentially nonviolent, accusations.
Hannah Flamm of the International Refugee Assistance Project stated the law violates basic immigrant rights by detaining individuals without charges or convictions. She attributed the legislation to election-cycle fears of appearing soft on crime, furthering Trump’s conflation of immigration and crime.
Flamm anticipates legal challenges to mandatory detention, state attorney general involvement, and the funding of new detention centers.
“It’s crucial to understand: this bill, framed around a tragic death, is a pretext for strengthening a mass deportation system,” Flamm explained.
The Laken Riley Act follows Trump’s initial executive orders aimed at tightening the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. The administration has also canceled refugee resettlement and may prosecute local law enforcement for non-compliance with new immigration policies.
“We are tracking down criminal illegal aliens, detaining them, and deporting them,” Trump declared. “We have no apologies, and we are acting swiftly.”
