Laken Riley Act ‘has nothing to do with immigrants,’ Georgia lawmaker says
- The Georgia House recently passed the “Laken Riley Act”
- The Laken Riley Act requires ICE to detain illegal immigrants
- Riley’s death has become a rallying point for Republicans
Testing on staging11
(NewsNation) — Georgia lawmakers recently passed the “Laken Riley Act,” 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.
Republican Georgia State Rep. Jesse Petrea joined “NewsNation Prime” to explain what’s in the bill and how it could help prevent future crimes.
“Let me begin by just being very clear that this measure was drafted a year ago. This measure was drafted a year ago, dropped in January, and actually was heard twice before the very tragic, and totally avoidable death of Laken Riley,” Petrea said. “So to be clear, this was not a bill that was drafted in response to this, but it certainly gained renewed attention because of that.”
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.
“I also want to be clear that this bill has nothing to do with immigrants,” Petrea said. “It is precisely targeted to those illegally in the country who wind up in our jails. So they’ve committed a crime in our society. And in the process of determining who they are in our jails, we discover that they are illegally in the country. And what the measure does is make it very clear that when you find someone like that in a Georgia jail, they must be reported to federal immigration authorities who have authority in these matters.”
Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of the page.