Plain Language Summary
# Laken Riley Act Summary **What the bill does:** The Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain non-citizens who are unlawfully present in the U.S. or lack proper entry documents if they've been arrested for or charged with property crimes including burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also allows state governments to sue the federal government if they claim immigration enforcement failures have caused them financial or other harm, with lawsuits possible even for damages exceeding $100. **Who it affects:** The bill primarily affects undocumented immigrants accused of property crimes and state governments.
It expands detention requirements for immigration authorities and creates a new legal pathway for states to challenge federal immigration enforcement decisions in court. **Current status:** The bill passed the House of Representatives and is named after Laken Riley, a nursing student killed in Georgia in 2024. The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate.
CRS Official Summary
Laken Riley ActThis bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over adecision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; orfailure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.
Latest Action
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 10.