Today, January 10, marks what should have been Laken Riley’s 23rd birthday. Instead of celebrating her life, her family and loved ones are left to mourn her senseless death — an avoidable tragedy caused by an illegal alien with a criminal record who should never have been on the streets. Earlier this week, in her honor, the House of Representatives took a significant step forward by passing the Laken Riley Act, a measure designed to close dangerous loopholes in immigration enforcement.
This legislation isn’t just policy; it’s a moral imperative to prevent more families from enduring the anguish Laken’s loved ones now know all too well. Yet despite its clear necessity, the act continues to face resistance from some in Congress.
In a rare moment of clarity, the House approved this straightforward and commonsense measure, requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal aliens suspected of theft. For many Americans, this legislation is so obviously necessary that it scarcely needs explanation. Yet, incredibly, most House Democrats opposed it. The question looms large: what does the Democrat establishment say to the grieving families whose losses this legislation seeks to prevent? The likely answer: nothing coherent.
The act, named for Laken Riley, a young woman whose life was senselessly cut short by an illegal alien with a criminal record who should never have been on the streets, embodies a principle as old as civilized society — protecting the innocent from harm. The legislation mandates that ICE detain illegal aliens charged with theft or similar crimes, ensuring that such individuals are either held accountable or promptly removed from the country. This would close a dangerous loophole in current policy, which too often releases criminal aliens into communities where they often reoffend.
What Message Does This Opposition Send?
Those who oppose the Laken Riley Act are signaling a troubling reality: that the Democrat party’s leadership is more concerned with appeasing radical open-borders activists than protecting American lives. To be clear, this bill is not about rounding up every undocumented worker —i t targets those who commit crimes beyond illegally entering the United States. Theft is not a victimless offense. It erodes trust; endangers livelihoods; and, as Laken Riley’s case tragically illustrates, is often a precursor to violence.
By voting against this bill, House Democrats are not simply refusing to address illegal immigration; they are actively endangering the public. How can anyone explain to a reasonable American citizen that someone in the country illegally, already flouting U.S. law, should not be detained after committing theft? For most Americans, this defies not just policy sense, but common sense.
But therein lies the problem. The term citizen may be anathema to the modern Democrat party’s vocabulary. To call someone an “American” in their worldview is to risk being labeled exclusionary. Their rhetoric reflects a party sold out to a globalist ideology that is fundamentally hostile to the idea of national sovereignty, borders, and the rights of citizens. Their policies are the natural outgrowth of this mindset: prioritizing the interests of those who flout our laws over those who abide by them.
A Movement at Odds with the American Promise
Opposition to the Laken Riley Act is not rooted in concerns about practicality or equity; it is ideological. For a growing segment of the Democrat party, America’s borders — and by extension, its laws — are moral inconveniences. This faction is unmoored from the basic idea that a government’s primary responsibility is to its citizens. They cloak their hostility to enforcement in the language of compassion, but the results are anything but compassionate.
Consider this: had the Laken Riley Act been law, Laken might still be alive today. Her killer, an illegal alien with a history of theft and child endangerment, would have been detained and deported before escalating his criminal behavior. This is not conjecture; it is a grim fact. Every senator who votes to block this legislation must answer for his inaction should another tragedy occur. And make no mistake: there will be more tragedies if this law is not enacted.
Democrats Who Showed Courage
It would be unfair to paint all House Democrats with the same brush. A small number broke ranks and voted with Republicans to pass this vital legislation. These individuals, recognizing the act’s necessity, deserve credit for prioritizing the safety of their constituents over the demands of the Democrat party’s activist base. Their courage highlights the stark division within the party, between those who still see their role as serving the American public and those beholden to radical ideology.
The Senate must now follow suit. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s past obstruction of this bill is indefensible. To argue, as he has in the past, that such legislation unfairly targets “undocumented immigrants” is a smokescreen. The bill targets criminals. If the Democrat leadership in the Senate block this legislation again, they will further expose their allegiance to activists over Americans.
A Measure of Moral Clarity
The stakes are too high for partisanship to carry the day. Each senator, Republican or Democrat, must ask himself a simple question: whose side are you on? The side of law-abiding citizens like Laken Riley, or the side of those who would shield criminals from accountability?
This legislation is not just a test of political will, but a measure of moral clarity. A government that refuses to protect its own people is failing at its most basic responsibility. If the Senate blocks the Laken Riley Act, it sends an unmistakable message: that the rights of criminals, even those here illegally, outweigh the rights of American citizens to live in safety and peace.
America cannot afford such a message. The Senate must pass the Laken Riley Act — and do so expeditiously. To fail is to guarantee more victims, more grieving families, and more erosion of trust in our institutions.
The American people deserve better. Laken Riley deserved better. It is time for lawmakers to act like it.
Charlton Allen is an attorney and former chief executive officer and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder and editor of The American Salient and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast.
Image via Picryl.
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