President Donald Trump is set to sign the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday. This will be the first piece of legislation enacted by his administration. The act mandates the detention and potential deportation of undocumented immigrants who are accused of theft or violent crimes, even before they are convicted.
The measure passed quickly through the Republican-controlled Congress with some support from Democrats. However, it has been criticized by immigrant rights advocates who argue that it could lead to mass roundups for minor offenses like shoplifting.
Trump has long promised a crackdown on illegal immigration, and this law is seen as a first step in that direction. He suggested that more enforcement bills could follow. “This shows the potential for additional enforcement bills that will help us crack down on criminal aliens and totally restore the rule of law in our country,” Trump said at a conference of House Republicans in Florida.
The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia who was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan national, while out for a run in February 2024. Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole in November.
“To have a bill of such importance named after her is a great tribute,” Trump said. He highlighted the growing problem of crime committed by undocumented immigrants.
The act requires federal officials to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes such as theft or assaulting a police officer. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by immigration decisions, potentially giving conservative states more influence over immigration policy.
Critics argue that the law uses a tragedy to create chaos and cruelty, while doing little to address the outdated federal immigration system. Some Democrats have questioned the act’s constitutionality, and immigrant advocates fear mass detentions and the costly construction of new detention facilities.
“[Supporters] don’t just get to celebrate. They get to use this for their mass deportation agenda,” said Naureen Shah, deputy director of government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU warns that the act could allow people to be detained for years over nonviolent offenses from the past.
Hannah Flamm, interim senior director of policy at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said the law violates immigrants’ rights by detaining people who have not been charged or convicted of any crime. She added that the act is likely to face legal challenges over its detention provisions and the role of state attorneys general in immigration cases.
The signing of the Laken Riley Act follows a series of executive orders by Trump aimed at strengthening border security and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. The administration has also canceled refugee resettlement and threatened to prosecute local law enforcement officials who do not enforce the new immigration policies.
“We’re tracking down the illegal alien criminals and we’re detaining them and we’re throwing them the hell out of our country,” Trump said. “We have no apologies, and we’re moving forward very fast.”
Read more: