close
Wednesday, January 8, 2025

U.S. lawmakers pass bill to deport unauthorised immigrants charged with minor crimes

The bill, called the Laken Riley Act, passed Tuesday on a 264-159 vote, with 48 Democrats joining Republicans, will be in the Senate on Friday.

• January 8, 2025
Illegal immigrants [Credit: Courthouse news service]
Illegal immigrants [Credit: Courthouse news service]

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to deport illegal immigrants charged with minor crimes.

The bill, called the Laken Riley Act, passed Tuesday on a 264-159 vote, with 48 Democrats joining Republicans, will be in the Senate on Friday.

The bill, if passed into law, will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand the deportation net by detaining undocumented immigrants charged with less serious crimes, including burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.

It will also provide for state attorneys general to sue the U.S. government if federal authorities set free an illegal immigrant who is later arrested for committing other crimes.

“The death of Laken Riley was a senseless and preventable tragedy, and now that her murderer is behind bars, we owe it to Laken to do everything we can to ensure any migrant who enters the country illegally and commits a crime is never given the opportunity to harm innocent Americans,” John Cornyn, a senator from Texas, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the law in place provides for the arrest and deportation of both illegal immigrants and legal permanent residents charged with serious or violent crimes, including aggravated felonies, drug possession or drunk driving.

The bill was named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University in Georgia, killed in February 2024 by José Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border through El Paso in 2022.

The suspect, who had been arrested for shoplifting at a Georgia Walmart months prior, was, in November, sentenced to life in jail for killing the student without the possibility of parole.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Abubakar Kyari

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Godwin Emefiele

Anti-Corruption

Court dismisses Emefiele’s application challenging jurisdiction over graft trial

Mr Oyedepo argued that the alleged offences were economic and financial in nature, therefore, within the jurisdiction of EFCC.

France and Nigeria flag

World

Criticisms of Nigeria’s continued relationship with France insulting, myopic: Foreign Minister

The minister stated that Nigeria couldn’t tackle insecurity in its region simply by a partnership or by being friends with the Sahel countries.

Israel flag

World

Israel dismisses reports on Gaza truce

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the reports as “absolutely false.”

Donald Trump

World

France says EU will protect its borders amid Trump’s Greenland claim

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that the European Union would not allow its borders to be attacked.

World

Foreign minister to head Austria’s interim government on Friday

Mr Nehammer said he would step down as chancellor and head of the Austrian People’s Party after talks on building a coalition government failed.

Gang violence in Haiti

World

5,600 people killed in Haiti gang violence in 2024: UN

To erase evidence, gang members mutilated and burnt most of the bodies while others were thrown into the sea.