(NewsNation) — House lawmakers passed the “Laken Riley Act” Thursday, a bill proponents say is aimed at making sure no family ever has to experience the tragedy Riley’s family went through.
22-year-old Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was killed late last month while on a morning run. Authorities arrested Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally, on murder and assault charges in connection with Riley’s death.
Riley’s death has become a rallying point for Republicans, as Ibarra was allowed to stay in the U.S. to pursue his immigration case despite being previously arrested by New York police in August.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has expressed fury over the 22-year-old’s killing and suggested in a letter to the White House that her alleged killer slipped through cracks in the Biden administration’s immigration policy.
The Laken Riley Act could have potentially saved Riley’s life and now requires immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants who are charged with local burglary or theft.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., cosponsor of the bill, joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss details of the legislation, saying, “This is a very simple bill. It passed with flying colors, and it passed with people from both sides of the aisle.”
The legislation passed 251-170, with all Republicans and 37 Democrats voting for it.
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Ibarra was released before ICE could ask New York officials to hold him until immigration authorities could take him into custody.
“I think it was evident by the bipartisan support and the overwhelming win that we had with this bill, that it just reduces that threshold and allows local law enforcement to call ICE and call ICE in to detain these people and deport them,” Collins said. “Because, you know, usually petty crimes, theft, whatever it may be, leads to bigger crimes.”
The Laken Riley Act would also allow states to sue the federal government if they can demonstrate harm caused by immigrants who enter the country illegally.
“If Homeland Security doesn’t allow them to come in and detain these people, the states have the right to go to federal court to sue DHS, and (Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro) Mayorkas and the federal judge can step in and say, ‘No, you need to go and do your job and pick up these people because they have harmed Americans,'” Collins said.
Collins posted on social media this week he had invited Riley’s parents to the State of the Union address, but they had “chosen to stay home as they grieve the loss of their daughter.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.