The Act requires DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft, burglary, shoplifting, or larceny. It also allows states to sue the federal government for any violation of federal immigration laws that endanger American citizens.
Earlier this week, DHS cited results from Operation Angel’s Honor, a 14-day nationwide operation launched in honor of Riley that targeted illegal immigrants who committed crimes that come under the purview of the Laken Riley Act.
During the operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 1,030 criminal illegal immigrants, the department said.
Some of the arrested individuals include a Cuban illegal immigrant convicted of 17 counts of larceny, a Guatemalan national charged with cruelty toward a child and convicted of aggravated assault on an officer, a Jamaican illegal immigrant convicted of sexual assault, and a Mexican national convicted of kidnapping and drug possession.
“He was previously arrested by NYPD for acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and released back into American neighborhoods. He then went on to commit the heinous murder of Laken Riley,” the DHS statement said.
“President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.
“Now, these criminals will face justice and be removed from our country. We can never bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice.”
The Laken Riley Act faced opposition from some groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Sarah Mehta, ACLU senior border policy counsel, alleged that the bill would strengthen Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
“It will force immigration authorities to detain individuals accused of nonviolent theft offenses like shoplifting regardless of whether or not law enforcement even deems them as a threat,” Mehta said.
“This commonsense legislation would provide law enforcement with the tools they need to protect our communities and prevent future senseless tragedies, and is consistent with the Administration’s broader efforts to strengthen enforcement of our immigration laws and improve the security of the Nation’s borders,” the statement said.
Multiple operations have been carried out to arrest criminal illegal immigrants, it said. For instance, in Chicago and the Midwest, Operation Midway Blitz resulted in the arrests of more than 4,500 illegal immigrants. In Portland, Oregon, Operation Black Rose has led to the arrests of more than 1,240 illegal immigrants.
