Last year, Laken Riley was kidnapped and murdered by undocumented immigrant Jose Ibarra while he was out on his daily run.
She was a nursing student at the University of Georgia. He is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. It’s a stark contrast.
In 2022, he crossed He arrived at the southern border and was taken on a taxpayer-funded bus to New York City, where he was arrested on child endangerment charges and released without ICE custody. He was then shipped to Georgia on taxpayers’ dime, where he was arrested for shoplifting, but again released without custody.
Let’s make this clear: Ibarra is known to law enforcement and was transported to the victims with our tax dollars.
He should never have been in this country in the first place and should have been sent back a long time ago. Every part of our system failed Laken Riley, and because of it his family spent Christmas without his daughter, her friends celebrated New Years without her beloved classmate, and her community and country were robbed far too soon. We are forced to mourn the loss of lives lost.
Immediately after this incident, we started working to do something about it.
House Republicans knew they couldn’t go on like this. The failures that allowed this heinous murder to take place can no longer be an acceptable reality.
We wrote the laws. Laken Riley methodto close loopholes that allow illegal criminals to escape from ICE custody. The same loophole that allowed her killer to remain here.
Less than a week into this Congress, House Republicans have already made their priorities a reality. We did our job to prevent this tragedy from happening again.
Yesterday, we passed the Laken-Reilly Act by a majority vote in the House of Representatives. 264-159 Margin.
Notably, 48 Democrats participated.
House Republicans’ common sense bill proved that solutions are possible and that both parties can work together to solve problems without compromising their beliefs.
of bipartisan support The House’s passage of the Laken Riley Act shows that not only are Republicans united in fighting illegal crime, but that Democrats recognize that their soft-on-crime experiments have gone too far.
And Congress has high hopes for more.
This legislation is another step toward achieving justice and ensuring that no American family will ever again feel the pain that the Riley family experiences every day.
Whether they live in Georgia, Michigan, or another state.
Our efforts should provide Americans around the world with reassurance and a sense that solutions are possible.
Yesterday was a sign of optimism.
The House of Commons has done its job. House Republicans were united in their vote.
House Republicans ran on a platform of accountability to the people.
We want to make our country safer. we want to save lives.
On November 5th, 75 million people gave the House Republican mandate. they demanded change.
The passage of the Laken Riley Act shows that we are already making good on our promise.
Congressman Mike Collins represents 10 states in Georgia.th Congressional District and Speaker Lisa McClain represents Michigan’s 9th party.th Congressional District.
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