The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has arrested and detained more than 17,500 criminal illegal immigrants under the Laken Riley Act, the department said in a Dec. 24 statement.
The Laken Riley Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Jan. 29, in honor of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Hope Riley from Georgia, who was murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in February 2024.
The Act requires DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft, burglary, shoplifting, or larceny. It also allows states to sue the federal government for any violation of federal immigration laws that endanger American citizens.
Earlier this week, DHS cited results from Operation Angel’s Honor, a 14-day nationwide operation launched in honor of Riley that targeted illegal immigrants who committed crimes that come under the purview of the Laken Riley Act….