Representative Mike Collins of the 10th District of Georgia recently reintroduced the Laken Riley Act in the United States Congress, which failed in the Senate last year.
The bill, introduced by Representative Collins on Friday, is named after Laken Riley, the 22-year old nursing student who was murdered in February, 2024 in Athens. An undocumented man was convicted late last year of the murder.
The bill would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue detainers and take custody of undocumented immigrants who commit theft-related crimes. It would also allow state governments to sue the federal government for alleged failures to detain undocumented immigrants, or if those decisions harm the state or its residents.
The Laken Riley Act passed the House in March of last year with all Republican members voting to approve it and 37 of 207 Democrats joining in a yes vote.
The bill then languished in the Senate.
Collins said in a statement that he expects incoming President Donald Trump to sign the bill into law if it passes both chambers this year.
