Trump Signs First Bill of His Second Presidency, the Laken Riley Act, Into Law

President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, expanding the scope of those who can be arrested, detained and deported by federal immigration officers.

The bill is the first of Trump’s second presidency to become law and it comes at a time when he is promising stricter enforcement of immigration laws and increased deterrents to legal migration. It passed with bipartisan support, marking a major shift for Democrats, who did not advance the legislation in the Senate last year.

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The measure directs federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport those without legal status charged with minor theft or shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury of another person.

Several criminal offenses could already be grounds for deportation — and indeed Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday that those who had broken the law by entering the country illegally had already committed a crime. Critics of the measure argue the act skips the current practice of waiting until someone is convicted before considering the removal process.

The bill is named for a Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. without legal status. Her death became a rallying cry for Republicans who criticized the Biden administration’s approach to border security. The man, José Ibarra, was later sentenced to life in prison without parole. He had previously been charged with shoplifting in New York; Republicans argue this law would have enabled his deportation earlier and would have prevented Riley’s murder.

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