The US Congress has passed the ‘Laken Riley Act’ requiring undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes to be detained pending trial.
The bill passed with bipartisan support, including backing from 46 House Democrats and 12 Senate Democrats.
The legislation empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government over immigration policies and mandates the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants charged with certain offenses.
While Republicans championed the measure as a protective step, Democrats criticised it for lacking funding and potentially punishing suspects before trial.
The bill, now awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature, marks an early legislative win for his administration.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was murdered in February 2024. She was found dead in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus after failing to return from a morning run. The man convicted of her murder, José Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan migrant, had been arrested twice in the months prior but was released before trial.
