President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an immigration detention measure into law, marking the first legislative win of his second term as the Republican-led Congress angles to execute his agenda.
The House gave its final approval of the bill in a 263-156 vote last Wednesday, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans in favor. The measure also passed the Senate last week in a 64-35 vote, with 12 Democrats breaking with their party to back it.
Trump opened his remarks with a victory lap, crediting his immigration agenda for his victory in the election and thanking the Republican and Democratic lawmakers who sent the bill to his desk.
"That’s why I’m here instead of somebody else. Actually, it’s the biggest reason," Trump said in remarks in the East Wing of the White House as he touted what he called the "landmark" law that is "going to save countless innocent American lives."
The president praised Riley as “a light of warmth and kindness,” thanking her parents and sister, who attended the bill signing, and said the cause had brought together Democrats and Republicans.
“That’s not easy to do,” Trump said. “Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley.”
Written by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., the Laken Riley Act bears the name of the nursing school student who was murdered last year in Athens, Georgia. A Venezuelan citizen who had entered the United States illegally was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In 2023, Riley’s killer was released after being charged in New York, and again after stealing in Georgia, Trump said.
The president said the law would save “countless” lives, and credited it as “a perfect, incredible tribute to an unbelievable young lady.”
The act requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested or face charges or who have been convicted of “burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.”
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“What we are hoping for is that her life saves lives,” Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, said through tears.
Phillips praised Trump as “a man of his word,” telling others to “trust that he will fight for the American people.”
On the campaign trail last year, Trump repeatedly referred to Jose Ibarra, 26, the migrant convicted in the case, to argue against the Biden administration's border policies.
Trump on Wednesday also said he would instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay “to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people,” calling it “a tough place to get out of.”
“Some of them are so bad we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” the president continued. “So we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo.”
He floated the idea on Monday that American criminals who are "repeat offenders" could be imprisoned overseas for a “small fee,” pitching it to House Republicans as a cost-saving measure.
Some vulnerable Democrats in battleground states and districts who backed the legislation have been at odds with their party over addressing immigration, which proved to be a key priority for voters in the election.
During his first week in office, Trump has made other efforts to make good on his promise to crack down on illegal crossings, declaring a national emergency at the border that could permit the Defense Department to deploy the military and the National Guard to the border. He has also signed a series of executive orders aimed at shutting down immigration at the southern border and deporting millions of people who crossed into the United States illegally.
"All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," Trump said in his inaugural address.
The president continued that message on Wednesday, declaring that the bill’s signing brings the country “one step closer” to ending crime committed by “illegal alien killers, criminals” who have entered the country illegally. Standing before rows of lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, and others, Trump said Congress could do more, and should act “to provide full funding for the complete and total restoration” of U.S. borders, “as well as financial support to remove record numbers of illegal aliens.”
After taking office, Trump suspended a refugee resettlement program and his administration directed the Justice Department to investigate for possible prosecution any state or local officials refusing to enforce immigration laws.
And last week Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Republicans are aiming to supply Trump with $100 billion to fund his planned crackdown on illegal immigration. Republicans are exploring the budget reconciliation process to bolster Trump’s border security budget without Democratic support.
