ATLANTA – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Republican-backed legislation named in honor of Georgia murder victim Laken Riley as the first act of the new Congress.
The Laken Riley Act requires detention of illegal immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes including theft and burglary. It cleared the House 264-159 on Tuesday, with 48 Democrats – including U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Marietta – joining majority Republicans in voting for the bill.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered last February while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia. An illegal immigrant from Venezuela was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Jose Ibarra had previously been detained on shoplifting charges but was released from custody…