The Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student, killed by an undocumented immigrant, has been signed into law by President Trump. This marks the first bill signed by the president, who prioritized illegal immigration during his campaign.
The law mandates that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain undocumented immigrants arrested for offenses such as theft and burglary. This measure aims to prevent tragedies similar to the murder of Laken Riley.
Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old from Aberdeen, was murdered in July 2022 by an MS-13 gang member who was in the country illegally from El Salvador. Her mother, Tammy Nobles, was present at the signing of the law.
“I want to say thank you to Kayla’s mother Tammy,” Trump said.
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Outside the nation’s capital, Nobles expressed her mixed emotions about the new law.
“I’m exhausted. I’m also very honored to be a part of all this,” Nobles said. “I have been fighting for 2 1/2 years and it’s so good to hear change is coming and changes are being made.”
Nobles believes her daughter’s murder could have been prevented, citing failures in the vetting process for unaccompanied minors entering the U.S.
“He was an unaccompanied alien child. Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services did not vet and background check him,” Nobles said.
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Kayla’s killer had been arrested in El Salvador for “illicit association” with MS-13 before entering the U.S. Despite these charges, he was placed in a foster home.
“A lot of them are gang members that are coming across the border. A lot of them are teenagers,” Nobles said.
For Nobles, the Laken Riley Act is bittersweet.
“It’s too late for Kayla and the other women affected by the border,” she said. “But it gives her hope that there won’t be another Kayla, Laken, and no other mom has to feel that pain.”
“I can hear Kayla saying go mom go. And I know she is really proud in the fight that I’ve been doing, trying to make change for her. Not only her memory, but those affected by the border and also happening to someone else,” Nobles said.
