Trump Praises Democrats Who Supported the Laken Riley Act: ‘The Ones That Didn’t Are Going To Be Sorry’
President Donald Trump declared the Laken Riley Act did the impossible and brought Democrats and Republicans together.
Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, making the first law he’s signed in his second term.
“This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together. That’s not easy to do. Laken did it. Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley,” the president said before signing the bill.
The law orders Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal migrants for crimes like theft and it allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security over harm caused to citizens by illegal migrants.
Nursing student Laken Riley was killed at just 22 years old last year while on a job on the University of Georgia campus. She was murdered by an illegal migrant.
“The vicious criminal who murdered precious Laken was an illegal alien member of the barbaric Venezuelan prison gang known as Tren de Aragua. He trespassed across our southern border in 2022 and was apprehended by Border Patrol, but under the cruel policies of the last administration, instead of being deported as he should have been, he was released into the United States,” Trump said.
The president took multiple knocks at former President Joe Biden, but offered a thank you to Democrats who supported the measure and warned those that didn’t that it could come back to haunt them with voters.
Trump said:
I want to thank every House Republican, every Senate Republican, as well as the 12 Senate Democrats and the 48 House Democrats who voted to pass this vitally important bill. And many of them are with us today. And I really do appreciate it. And I very much especially appreciate the bipartisan support.
The Democrats, really a big percentage of them came through. And plenty of them wanted to, but they probably felt they couldn’t, but they really wanted to. They don’t understand that would have made them a lot more popular, would have made them a lot better with their people. The ones that didn’t are going to be sorry because the people are not going to forget that. They wouldn’t say this is a perfect, incredible tribute to an unbelievable young lady.
Watch above via CNN.
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