Laken Riley Act facts for kids
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| Full title | To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes. |
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| Introduced in | 119th United States Congress |
| Introduced on | January 6, 2025 |
| Number of co-sponsors | 53 |
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The Laken Riley Act is a United States law that requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants admitting to, charged with, or convicted of theft-related crimes, assaulting a police officer, or a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like drunk driving. The Act also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for alleged failures in immigration enforcement.
On January 22, 2025, the House agreed to the Senate’s version of the bill with a 263–156 vote. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on January 29, 2025.
Provisions
The bill first requires that the Department of Homeland Security, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detain illegal immigrants who "[are] charged with, [are] arrested for, [are] convicted of, [admit to] having committed, or [admit to] committing" certain illegal acts. In the original version, the list was limited to theft-related crimes.
The bill also allows states to take legal action against the federal government if they determine it is in "violation of the detention and removal requirements" of the bill.
The amended version, which passed the Senate on January 20, includes the Cornyn Amendment, which provides for detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, and the Ernst Amendment (nicknamed "Sarah's Law"), which includes detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like manslaughter resulting from driving while intoxicated.
Support and opposition
The bill is supported by organizations including the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Association of Mature American Citizens.
The bill is opposed by organizations including the American Immigration Council, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the National Education Association, the National Organization for Women, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the United Steelworkers, the United Church of Christ, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Council of Churches, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Critics of the bill are concerned that it does not wait until the accused is convicted before requiring a deportation.
See also
- List of United States immigration laws
- Habeas corpus in the United States
- Mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the second presidency of Donald Trump
