Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., is introducing legislation that would require ICE to detain illegal immigrants who are charged with local theft or burglary, after a migrant accused of such crimes was released and later charged with the murder of an American college student.
The Laken Riley Act is named after 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, a college nursing student who was recently killed on the campus of University of Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged with the brutal murder, had been arrested multiple times prior to the murder, but was not detained by ICE.
Before being charged with felony murder, Ibarra was arrested for driving under the influence and driving without a license, the Middle District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote in a press release citing a sworn affidavit and criminal complaint against the migrant. He also was cited for shoplifting in October 2023, according to police. Collins’ new bill would have required ICE to detain Ibarra after these first offenses, and prior to the death of Riley.
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