Laken Riley Act

Laken Riley Act
Long title	To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody immigrants who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.
Announced in	the 119th United States Congress
Number of co-sponsors	53
Citations
Public law	Pub. L. 119–1 (menu; GPO has not yet published law)
Codification
Acts amended	Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
Titles amended	8 U.S.C.: Aliens and Nationality
U.S.C. sections amended	8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1182(d)(f); 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1225(b); 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1226; 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1226(c); 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1231(a)(2); 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1252(f); 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II § 1253
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 5 by Katie Britt (R–AL) on January 6, 2025; Passed the U.S. Senate with amendments on January 20, 2025 (64–35); Passed the U.S. House of Representatives on January 22, 2025 (263–156); Signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 29, 2025;

The Laken Riley Act is a United States law that requires the detention, without bond, of illegal immigrants admitting to, charged with, or convicted of theft-related crimes, assaulting a police officer, or a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like drunk driving. The Act also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for alleged failures in immigration enforcement.

The bill was introduced following the murder of Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been cited for theft on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. On January 22, 2025, the House agreed to the Senate's version of the bill with a 263–156 vote. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on January 29, 2025.