President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law as his administration's first piece of legislation.

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Karah Rucker Anchor

U.S.

How the Laken Riley Act changes US immigration law under Trump

18 hrs ago

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Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

President Donald Trump signed his new administration’s first piece of legislation into law on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The law is tied to the signature issue of Trump’s presidential campaign, a promised crackdown on illegal immigration into the United States.

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Trump authorized the Laken Riley Act with the stroke of a pen and with Riley’s parents present at the ceremony.

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What did Laken Riley’s family say?

Allyson Phillips, the mother of Laken Riley, spoke before Trump signed the legislation.

“Our family will forever be grateful for the prayers of people across our nation and for helping get this legislation into law,” Phillips said. “We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken, and he hasn’t. He’s a man of his word, and we trust that he will fight for the American people.”

What does the law do?

The new law allows federal law enforcement to detain and potentially deport immigrants living in the United States illegally who are accused of theft or violent crimes without the need for a conviction.

The legislation passed with mostly Republican and some Democratic support.

The Laken Riley Act requires federal authorities to detain any immigrant living in the country illegally who is arrested or charged with a crime such as theft or violent offenses.

Under the legislation, state attorneys general can also sue the federal government for harm linked to federal immigration decisions.

Who was Laken Riley?

The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia. She was murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant living in the U.S. illegally. He was found guilty of Riley’s murder in November and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Ibarra was arrested and released three times before the murder. He was accused of crimes ranging from entering the country illegally to child endangerment and shoplifting.

What are critics of the legislation saying?

Some Democrats have questioned whether the law is constitutional, and immigrant rights advocates warn it will lead to mass detentions.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argued the act would allow authorities to lock up people based on pure suspicion that they committed a crime, even many years after it occurred.

The civil rights group said it expects the law to be challenged in the courts.

What’s the bigger picture?

Trump signed the legislation into law after a series of executive orders last week aimed at securing the U.S. southern border.

Trump has promised to deport millions of immigrants living in the country illegally and has threatened to prosecute local law enforcement officials who do not enforce his administration’s federal immigration policies.

Tags: ACLU, Border, Border crossings, Border patrol, Death, Democratic Party, Democrats, Donald Trump, Election, House Democrats, House Republicans, Immigrant, Immigrant parole program, Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Migrant buses, Migrant center, migrants, Murder, Republicans, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.-Mexico Border

[KARAH RUCKER]

THAT WAS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SIGNING HIS NEW ADMINISTRATION’S FIRST PIECE OF LEGISLATION INTO LAW.

IT’S TIED TO THE SIGNATURE ISSUE OF HIS CAMPAIGN– A PROMISED CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.

TRUMP AUTHORIZING THE LAKEN RILEY ACT WEDNESDAY WITH THE STROKE OF A PEN.

BUT BEFORE PEN MET PAPER, THE PRESIDENT HANDED THE MIC OVER TO RILEY’S MOTHER.

[ALLYSON PHILLIPS]

OUR FAMILY WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR THE PRAYERS OF PEOPLE ACROSS OUR NATION AND FOR HELPING GET THIS LEGISLATION INTO LAW. WE ALSO WANT TO THANK PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR THE PROMISES HE MADE TO US. HE SAID HE WOULD SECURE OUR BORDERS AND THAT HE WOULD NEVER FORGET ABOUT LAKEN, AND HE HASN’T. HE’S A MAN OF HIS WORD, AND WE TRUST THAT HE WILL FIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

[KARAH RUCKER]

THE NEW LAW ALLOWS FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DETAIN AND POTENTIALLY DEPORT UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE IN THE U-S WHO ARE ACCUSED OF THEFT OR VIOLENT CRIMES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A CONVICTION.

THE LEGISLATION PASSED WITH MOSTLY REPUBLICAN AND SOME DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT.

THE ACT REQUIRES FEDERAL AUTHORITIES TO DETAIN ANY UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT ARRESTED OR CHARGED WITH A CRIME SUCH AS THEFT OR VIOLENT OFFENSES.

UNDER THE LEGISLATION, STATE ATTORNEYS’ GENERALS CAN ALSO SUE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR HARM LINKED TO FEDERAL IMMIGRATION DECISIONS.

THE LAW IS NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY, A 22-YEAR-OLD NURSING STUDENT FROM GEORGIA WHO WAS MURDERED BY JOSE ANTONIO IBARRA, AN UNDOCUMENTED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANT, WHO WAS FOUND GUILTY IN NOVEMBER AND SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE.

[DONALD TRUMP]

AMERICA WILL NOW NEVER EVER FORGET LAKEN HOPE RILEY. THE VICIOUS MURDERER WHO KILLED LAKEN WAS AN ILLEGAL ALIEN MEMBER OF THE BARBARIC VENEZUELAN GANG KNOWN AS TREN DE ARAGUA.

[KARAH RUCKER]

IBARRA WAS ARRESTED AND RELEASED THREE TIMES BEFORE HE KILLED RILEY AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF CRIMES RANGING FROM CROSSING THE BORDER ILLEGALLY, CHILD ENDANGEREMENT AND SHOPLIFTING.

[DONALD TRUMP]

FROM THE TIME SHE WAS IN FIRST GRADE, LAKEN KNEW SHE WANTED TO SPEND HER TIME CARING FOR OTHERS. THAT’S WHAT SHE DID. TO HER FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES, SHE WAS A LIGHT OF WARMTH AND KINDNESS FOR EVERY SINGLE ROOM. TO HER PARENTS AND FAMILY SHE WAS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. THEY’VE HAD A MISERABLE PERIOD OF TIME.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

SOME DEMOCRATS HAVE QUESTIONED WHETHER THE LAW IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ADVOCATES WARN IT WILL LEAD TO MASS DETENTIONS.

THE A-C-L-U ARGUED THE ACT WILL ALLOW AUTHORITIES TO LOCK UP PEOPLE BASED ON PURE SUSPICION THEY COMMITTED A CRIME EVEN YEARS AFTER IT OCCURRED.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP SAID IT EXPECTS THE LAW WILL BE CHALLENGED IN COURT.

TRUMP’S SIGNING OF THE LEGISLATION INTO LAW COMES AFTER A SERIES OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS LAST WEEK AIMED AT SECURING THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

TRUMP HAS PROMISED TO DEPORT MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS AND HAS THREATENED TO PROSECUTE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WHO DO NOT ENFORCE HIS ADMINISTRATION’S FEDERAL IMMIGRATION POLICIES.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M KARAH RUCKER.