Daniel Webster U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | Official U.S. House Headshot
Daniel Webster U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | Official U.S. House Headshot
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 29, known as the Laken Riley Act. This legislation mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security issue a detainer for illegal aliens charged or cited with local theft or burglary.
Rep. Daniel Webster commented on the passage of the bill: “My Republican colleagues and I made a commitment to secure our borders and hold criminals accountable," said Rep. Daniel Webster. "The Laken Riley Act is the first bill passed by the House in 2025 – Promise made, promise kept. Our first legislative act of this Congress was to provide law enforcement with the tools needed to uphold the rule of law and protect our communities."
Webster further emphasized that although it had previously passed in the House with bipartisan support, "the Democrat-held Senate failed to pass this important bill." He urged "the new Republican Senate majority to pass this legislation and have it on President Trump’s desk on Day 1.”
The bill was introduced by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) following the murder of his constituent Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed on February 22, 2024, by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Prior to Riley's death, Ibarra had been arrested multiple times, including for shoplifting in 2023 but was not detained by ICE.
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