By Daniel Stefanski |
Members of Arizona’s Republican delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives were key to a border-related bill passing their chamber.
In one of the first legislative actions of the 119th Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act, which was introduced by U.S. Congressman Mike Collins from Georgia. All members of Arizona’s Republican delegation voted in favor of the bill, as did one Democrat, U.S. Representative Greg Stanton.
According to its congressional summary, H.R. 29, if enacted would “require the Department of Homeland Security to detain certain non-U.S. nationals who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.”
One of Arizona’s Republicans who voted for the legislation, U.S. Congressman Eli Crane, said, “I’m pleased to report that the Laken Riley Act passed out of the House of Representatives. This bill will protect our communities and give our law enforcement agencies the resources they need to prevent avoidable tragedies. It’s appalling that 159 Democrats sided with criminal aliens by voting against this commonsense measure. Despite their senseless opposition, I’m glad we were once again able to get this bill across the finish line. I appreciate Rep. Mike Collins for his leadership, and I look forward to its swift passage in the U.S. Senate before heading to President Trump’s desk.”
Crane’s press release highlighted that this bill “directly addresses one of the federal policy failures related to Laken Riley’s murder. Her murderer, Jose Ibarra, is an illegal alien who had been previously cited for shoplifting by the Athens Policy Department. If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive.”
U.S. Congressman Abraham Hamadeh added, “While we cannot possibly remediate the pain caused at the hands of violent illegal immigrants, we must do all we are able to do to stop illegal immigrant crime before it begins and save future American lives. This should be a unanimous and non-partisan issue. I’m grateful for my colleagues who see this as such.”
U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani wrote, “Securing the southern border and protecting our citizens is a top priority in the 119th Congress! I voted for & cosponsor HR 29, the Laken Riley Act, to honor her memory and ensure bad actors here illegally are detained to prevent innocent lives from being lost to the crisis.”
The bill was named after a young woman at a Georgia nursing school who was horrifically and tragically murdered by an illegal immigrant in the United States. Late last year, the murderer was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. After the conclusion of the trial, President-elect Donald J. Trump said, “JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes. Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have. We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
The Laken Riley Act now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it will need all Republicans and at least seven Democrats to support its passage in order to send it to the president’s desk for his signature. U.S. Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, co-sponsored the measure, saying, “Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence. Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
Allyson and John Phillips, Riley’s mother and stepfather, spoke out in support of the bill as it proceeded through the congressional process. They said, “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. Laken would have been 23 on January 10th. There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill. Every single member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our country and communities safer. We thank Congressman Mike Collins, Senator Katie Britt, and Senator Ted Budd for continuing to work to honor Laken’s legacy and get this legislation enacted into law.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
