Laken Riley. Rachel Morin. Jocelyn Nungaray. Sarah Root.
These young women never set out to become household names. They each lived their lives, studied and worked hard, and loved their families. But each of those lives were ripped away from them unjustly and prematurely. In President Trump’s words, they were sacrificed on the “altar of open borders.” The Senate is working this week to prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future.
Laken Riley’s case captured our national consciousness. Riley was a young 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia who went on a jog around her college campus in February 2024. Tragically, she was found dead later that day. Riley was viciously murdered by a Venezuelan national, Jose Ibarra, who got into our country illegally.
But Riley’s death was entirely preventable. As Ibarra was arrested and tried for Riley’s murder, more details emerged about his background. Ibarra was stopped by Customs and Border Protection after illegally entering the United States September 2022. Instead of returning to Mexico like he would’ve under President Trump’s policies, Ibarra was released into our country with no vetting or accountability.
Not only was he let off without consequences—Ibarra went to “sanctuary city” New York, where he was put up in a hotel at taxpayer expense. Once in America, Ibarra was arrested by police in New York and Atlanta, once for child endangerment and once for shoplifting. Each time, he was released. Ibarra went free, allowing him to eventually murder Riley.
The story of Riley’s death is disturbing and heartbreaking. That is what moved my colleagues and me to introduce a bill in Riley’s honor, protecting Americans from criminal illegal immigrants like Ibarra. This week, the Senate is voting on the Laken Riley Act, led by U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.). The bill, which I cosponsored, will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It will also give states standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law.
This bill will deliver commonsense justice for Americans, and I’m pleased that several of my Democrat colleagues saw reason and voted to advance to consideration of this legislation last week. But there’s more that must be done. As we consider the Laken Riley Act in the Senate, my colleagues and I have reintroduced Sarah’s Law, named in honor of Bellevue University alumna Sarah Root. We are pushing for its passage as well.
Many of us in Nebraska know Root’s story. In January 2016, Root was driving home after celebrating her recent graduation from Bellevue. A smart young woman and successful student, she had her whole life ahead of her. But that life was ended suddenly when an illegal immigrant who was driving and drag racing drunk slammed his truck into her SUV. Instead of detaining the killer and taking him into custody, ICE lost track of him. He disappeared, and he still runs free.
My colleagues and I first introduced Sarah’s Law in 2016 to honor Root, and we’ve reintroduced it every Congress since. Sarah’s Law will require the detention of any illegal immigrant who is charged with a crime resulting in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. In the Senate, we are working to ensure that these important provisions from Sarah’s Law will be added to the Laken Riley Act before final passage. Together, the Laken Riley Act and Sarah’s Law will close dangerous loopholes, protecting Americans from tragedies like the deaths of Riley and Root.
The catastrophic border policy of the Biden administration has real, grave consequences for our country. In the Senate, it’s our job to respond by saying “enough” to this chaos. Neither Riley nor Root, nor any other victim of criminal illegal immigrants, set out to become a household name. But I am determined to honor their memories by passing legislation that will prevent these crimes from occurring in the future. I hope my colleagues will join me.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.