Who was Laken Riley and why Trump paid tributes to her family on stage during Congress address?

At the first joint Congressional address of his second term, US President Donald Trump recognised the mother and sister of Laken Riley, who were in attendance. The President blamed the Joe Biden administration’s policies for her death.“Laken was stolen from us by a savage, illegal alien gang member who was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s southern border and then sent to the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration,” Trump said, adding, “It was indeed a failed administration.”
Allyson Phillips, Riley’s mom, along with Lauren Phillips, her sister, were in the House gallery for Trump’s address.
After Trump’s election, the Laken Riley Act was the first bill passed out of the new, 118th Congress and the first bill signed into law by the newly-elected president.The Act is aimed at cracking down on immigration by requiring federal officials to arrest undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes related to theft and would mandate they are detained until they are removed from the country.

Who was Laken Riley?

The law is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia. She was murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant living in the U.S. illegally. He was found guilty of Riley’s murder in November 2024 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Also Read: In first address to Congress, Donald Trump claims millions of dead Americans receiving Social Security benefits

Trump Recounts How He Signed Laken Riley Act

The US President recounted how he signed the Act to ratchet up immigration enforcement against illegal immigrants who partake in theft-related crimes.

“Last year, I told Laken’s grieving parents that we would ensure their daughter would not have died in vain,” the president recounted. “That’s why the very first bill I signed into law as your 47th president mandates the detention of all dangerous criminal aliens who threaten public safety. It’s very strong.”

What Does Laken Riley Law Do?

Under the new law, federal officials will be required to detain any migrant arrested or charged with crimes like shoplifting or assaulting a police officer or crimes that injure or kill someone.

“If you come into this country illegally and you commit a crime, you should not be free to roam the streets of this nation,” Republican Senator Katie Britt, who helped push the bill through the Senate, had earlier said.

The Act also empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by failures or decisions in immigration enforcement that harm states or people. That includes releasing migrants from custody or failing to detain migrants who have received deportation orders.

The provision also gives states some power in setting immigration policy.

Also Read: Donald Trump Highlights: Calls for ‘golden age of America’ in first Congress address since return