Victim and immigration advocacy organizations oppose Laken Riley Act

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and immigration advocates are urging the U.S. Senate to vote against a bill that would detain certain undocumented immigrants. 

The Laken Riley Act is named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered while out for a run in February 2024 by Jose Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant. Her death has sparked debate on immigration in the U.S.

Under the Republican-led bill, the Department of Homeland Security is required to detain certain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting, including thefts valued at more than $100.

Moriarty opposes the bill, arguing it doesn’t provide due process for those arrested. 

“We already have a mechanism to deport people who are convicted of a very broad swath of conduct, including the same conduct targeted in this bill. This bill goes so much further,” she said. 

Last week, Republican senators held a press conference and explained their support for the bill, saying it should have been passed last year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke about preventing cases like this during the press conference, which was broadcast on C-SPAN.

“This legislation is designed to make sure that that never happens again. The act is also designed to hold federal law enforcement officials accountable if they fail to detain criminals as the law requires, which is a troubling trend that we see across the country today,” he said.

In a statement, Joanna Rodriguez, the communications director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee said, “Twenty-two-year-old Laken Riley would still be alive today if her killer had been detained after he was accused of shoplifting.” 

NBC News reports Ibarra had failed to appear in court in connection with a previous shoplifting charge.

Advocates of victims of domestic violence in Minnesota say the bill won’t enhance public safety.

Amirthini Keefe, executive director of Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis, said the Laken Riley Act will have indirect but significant repercussions for domestic violence victims.

“Particularly those who are non-citizens who are undocumented, the legislation will most certainly heighten the fear of reporting abuse among undocumented survivors, increase their vulnerability, lead to under-reporting of crimes and most concerningly, contribute to the criminalization of survivors who are already experiencing violence,” Keefe said.

Moriarty also said the bill would make it more difficult to prosecute serious cases and lead to more violence.

“If a person commits a crime against a non-citizen, all the person would have to do is threaten to go to the police first and accuse the victim of theft. That would be enough to have ice detain them and eventually deport the non-citizen and the person who caused the harm would go scot-free,” Moriarty said.

The House approved the measure in a 264 to 159 vote with all voting Republicans and 48 Democrats supporting its passage. 

If it passes in the Senate, the bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.

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