1 month ago
Last Updated:March 05, 2025, 09:14 IST
After Trump’s election, the Laken Riley Act was the first bill passed out of the new, 118th Congress and the first bill signed into law by the newly-elected president.
Donald Trump went on to blame President Biden and his administration’s policies for Laken Riley’s death. (AFP)
At the first joint Congressional address of his second term, US President Donald Trump recognized the mother and sister of Laken Riley, who were in attendance. The President blamed the Joe Biden administration’s policies for her death.
“Laken was stolen from us by a savage, illegal alien gang member who was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s southern border and then sent to the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration," Trump said, adding, “It was indeed a failed administration."
Allyson Phillips, Riley’s mom, along with Lauren Phillips, her sister, were in the House gallery for Trump’s address.
After Trump’s election, the Laken Riley Act was the first bill passed out of the new, 118th Congress and the first bill signed into law by the newly-elected president.
The act is aimed at cracking down on immigration by requiring federal officials to arrest undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes related to theft and would mandate they are detained until they are removed from the country.
Who was Laken Riley? The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia. She was murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant living in the U.S. illegally. He was found guilty of Riley’s murder in November 2024 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:March 05, 2025, 09:13 IST
News world In Congress Speech, Trump Says Laken Riley 'Stolen From Us' | Who Was She & All About US Law Named After Her
