On Feb. 22, 2024, illegal immigrant José Ibarra killed nursing student Laken Riley on a trail on the campus of the University of Georgia. Riley’s murder further solidified the urgency of the border crisis that the Biden administration foisted upon the country.
Even as the University of Georgia community and leaders throughout the state rallied around Riley’s family, the murder also revealed the callousness of the woke leadership of Athens-Clarke County, whose mayor and district attorney declared a sanctuary city.
Ibarra was found guilty in November, but because DA Deborah Gonzalez refused to seek the death penalty, he received life in prison. That case led the voters of Clarke and Oconee Counties to vote Gonzalez out of office.
In March, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), whose district includes Athens-Clarke County, introduced the Laken Riley Act. In the interest of full disclosure, Collins is also my congressman. Shortly after Collins introduced the bill, I wrote:
H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act, would “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.” Collins introduced the bill on March 1, and he hopes the House will vote on it as soon as this week.
“Laken Riley's tragic murder at the hands of an illegal alien was another wakeup call,” Collins wrote in an email to constituents on Tuesday. “Americans are experiencing a crime wave because of Joe Biden’s open border and local sanctuary policies that shield foreign criminals from accountability and deportation.”
The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate, but November’s election results emboldened Collins to reintroduce the bill in the new Congress.
I am proud to have reintroduced the Laken Riley Act into the 119th Congress. It’s time that we work together to ensure that no more innocent lives can be lost to a broken system. This Congress, Laken Riley will finally get justice.https://t.co/oJwPVDxXHE
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) January 3, 2025
Related: Laken Riley's Murder Is the Fault of Democrats at Every Level of Government
In a press release on Friday, Collins announced:
Today, Representative Mike Collins (GA-10) reintroduced the Laken Riley Act for the 119th Congress. This legislation, which passed the House last year with overwhelming bipartisan support before stalling in the Senate, gives ICE and state governments more resources to fight against illegal alien criminals.
“The Laken Riley Act gives our law enforcement the tools they need to protect their communities and ensure that no more innocent lives are lost to a broken immigration and criminal justice system,” said Collins. “I am proud that the House was able to come together and pass this bill. If the Senate will do its job, President Trump will make it law.”
“The 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 Police Department,” the press release concludes. “If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive. Ibarra was found guilty in November 2024 and has been sentenced to life without parole.”
Here's hoping that the second time is a charm with the Laken Riley Act. We must stop tragedies like Riley's murder from happening again.
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