Tennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn Join Colleagues in Sponsoring the Laken Riley Act

Tennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) were among a group of Republican U.S. senators that introduced the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday.

The Laken Riley Act, named in honor of the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was allegedly killed at the hands of an illegal Venezuelan migrant while on a jog near campus last month, would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue a detainer for illegal aliens who are charged or cited with theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting

The legislation would also ensure states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law.

The bill passed the House of Representatives last week by a 251-170 vote. Every no vote belonged to a Democrat representative.

Now, Blackburn, Hagerty, and the group of Republican senators are demanding that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) immediately bring the Laken Riley Act to the floor for a vote.

“Laken Riley should still be alive today, and we must act to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur in our country. The Laken Riley Act will combat Biden’s reckless border policies by directing ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country. We must prioritize American lives over illegal aliens,” Blackburn said in a statement.

Hours after the bill was introduced in the Senate, a coalition of 26 state attorneys general, including Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, sent a letter to Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging the immediate passage of the legislation.

“Laken Riley’s murder should not have happened. I encourage the Senate to pass this legislation to prevent similar evils in the future, and to recognize that our open border policies must end immediately,” Skrmetti said in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers are with her family and friends as they mourn her loss.”

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Senator Bill Hagerty” by Sen. Bill Hagerty and “Senator Marsha Blackburn” is by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.