Trump signs Laken Riley Act, allows detention of undocumented migrants accused of criminal offences

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) signed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates pre-trial detention of illegal migrants accused of theft, burglary or shoplifting, The Hill reported.

The passing of the act in the House marked Trump’s first legislative victory as the bill received 263-156 vote, with 46 Democrats supporting it after the Senate approved the measure in a bipartisan 64-35 vote.

“This is a very important law, this is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together. That’s not something that’s easy to do — Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley,” Trump said at the bill signing, calling it “a landmark law” that can “save countless innocent American lives”.

BREAKING: President Trump signs the Laken Riley Act into law to honor Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant on the campus of University of Georgia in 2024. pic.twitter.com/1TW0pIDbCW

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 29, 2025

The bill is named after Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by a Venezuelan migrant who was arrested for shoplifting ahead of the attack after he was paroled into the country.

Trump thanked the Republicans for voting for the bill, as well as the Democrats who voted across party lines and warned that those who didn’t vote for it “are going to be sorry.”

Additionally, Trump said that he will sign an executive order to prepare a facility at Guantanamo Bay to house deported migrants, during the signing of the Lake Riley Act, The Hill reported. The order will direct the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.

POWERFUL: Donald Trump gives a pen to Allyson Phillips, mother of Laken Riley, after he signed the Laken Riley Act

(Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty) pic.twitter.com/iDGgsoC6a9

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 29, 2025

The facility in Cuba has been used to house military prisoners, including several involved in the 9/11 attacks, The Hill reported. “We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” Trump said during an event to sign the Laken Riley Act into law.

“Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” Trump added. “This will double our capacity immediately. And tough, it’s a tough place to get out of.”
This order is the latest step in Trump’s effort to deport immigrants from the United States.
Guantanamo Bay is known US military base where terror suspects are held. It came into bad light amid accusations of torture and abuse by the US in their war against terrorism. Former President Joe Biden administration wind down operations at the facility. There are 15 detainees still there, The Hill reported. (ANI)