North Carolina’s Congressional delegation – on both sides of the aisle -- is supporting the reintroduction of the Laken Riley Act for the 119th Congress.
The bill is named after 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered last year by an illegal alien on campus who had been previously cited for theft and shoplifting but was released.
Laken Riley’s mother Allyson and stepfather John Phillips said in a statement, “The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we’ve experienced.”
Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd said, “What happened to Laken Riley should never happen to any American citizen.”
The bill would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses and would mandate that these aliens are detained until they are removed from the United States.
“Laken Riley was murdered in cold blood because an illegal immigrant, who previously committed a crime, wasn’t deported due to President Biden’s disastrous border policies,” said Republican U.S. Senator Tillis. “Illegal immigrants who commit a serious crime should be deported immediately.”
"We have a responsibility to keep our communities safe. The Laken Riley Act ensures our immigration system is not allowing dangerous criminals to slip through the cracks," said North Carolina Democratic Congressman Don Davis.
The legislation also empowers state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for taking actions on immigration that harm their states or their citizens.
