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On Thursday afternoon, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, with every member of the Republican Party in attendance and 37 Democrats who supported the bill.
The legislation, introduced by conservative Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, requires the detention of any migrant who commits robbery or theft.
Laken Hope Riley was found dead last month after running near a lake on the University of Georgia campus. Police say she was murdered by a man. who crossed the border illegally. The 22-year-old died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson.
One hundred and seventy Democrats voted against the bill. The ranking Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, criticized the legislation on the floor, accusing Republicans of “exploiting his death for a partisan stunt” and “throwing legislation directed at immigrants in an election year.” ”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has repeatedly called on the Biden administration to take more executive action on border issues, said in a statement: “Laken Riley would still be alive if the Biden administration had made its job”.
“House Republicans are not going to stand by while the president and his administration release dangerous criminals into our communities,” Johnson said. “The Laken Riley Act would help prevent future tragedies. “If Senator Schumer and President Biden care about protecting Americans and are serious about border security, they will put this legislation to a vote and sign it into law immediately.”
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia handed out pins with Riley’s name to her fellow Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives during the vote on the bill, and was seen pinning one to the lapel of Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.
CNN’s Melanie Zanona and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
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