WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Laken Riley Act passed the Senate. This legislation is named in honor of 22-year-old Laken Riley, who was murdered by a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. He illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 under the Biden-Harris open border and was found guilty of murder by a judge last year. 

The Laken Riley Act would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, assault of law enforcement officers, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. It would also mandate that these illegal aliens are detained until they are removed from the U.S. so they cannot reoffend and commit further crimes. Lastly, it would ensure that states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law.

“Laken Riley’s murder was a devastating and senseless tragedy, and we must take action to ensure other American families do not have to endure such unthinkable loss at the hands of criminal illegal aliens,” said Senator Blackburn. “This legislation will make certain illegal aliens who commit crimes are arrested and removed from our country, and it will also give states the power to sue federal officials who refuse to enforce the law. I’m grateful my colleagues voted to make our communities safer, save lives, and prevent avoidable tragedies.”

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