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A supporter holds a poster with a photo of Laken...

A supporter holds a poster with a photo of Laken Riley at a rally last year for President Donald Trump. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the first piece of legislation of his new presidency, an immigration enforcement law that comes as his administration ramps up its mass deportation efforts.

At a White House ceremony, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, which allows authorities to arrest and deport immigrants living in the country illegally who have been accused of crimes, regardless of whether they have been convicted.

The law, named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan migrant last February, also includes a provision crafted by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R- Bayport) that makes assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable offense.

"This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together, that's not easy to do," Trump said before signing the bill.

WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND

  • President Donald Trump signed the first bill of his new administration, the Laken Riley Act, which allows authorities to arrest and deport immigrants living in the country illegally who have been accused of crimes, regardless of whether they have been convicted.
  • The law, named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan migrant last February, also includes a provision crafted by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R- Bayport) that makes assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable offense.
  • One of the law’s provisions allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government if they believe immigration policy "harms" state residents — a move legal analysts have said could spark lawsuits from conservative states seeking hard-line immigration policies.

The measure was passed by the Republican controlled House by a vote of 263-156, with 46 Democrats crossing party lines to vote with Republicans. Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), Laura Gillen (D- Rockville Centre), Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Garbarino all voted in favor. The bill passed the Senate with a 64-35 vote, with 12 swing-state Democrats joining Republicans in support.

Riley was a nursing student in Athens, Georgia, who was killed by Jose Ibarra, who arrived in the United States illegally in September 2022, after crossing the border into El Paso, Texas.

Ibarra was arrested twice after entering the country — in September 2023 he was arrested by the NYPD in Queens for driving without a license and allegedly endangering a minor, and a month later he was issued a citation for shoplifting in Athens. But he was never detained and failed to show up to a Georgia court hearing, according to media reports.

Ibarra pleaded guilty to killing Riley while she was out for a run, and was sentenced in November to life in prison without parole.

Calls for reform

Riley’s death sparked calls for reforms to the nation’s immigration laws and Trump often invoked her name on the campaign trail.

One of the law’s provisions allows state attorneys general  to sue the federal government if they deem federal immigration policy "harms" state residents — a move legal analysts have said could spark lawsuits from conservative states looking to push more hard-line immigration policies.

On Wednesday, Trump invited Riley’s parents and sister to join him as he signed the bill into law.

"This horrific atrocity should never have been allowed to happen," Trump said.

Trump called immigration "the biggest reason" he won in November. Since retaking office Trump has rolled out a number of the hard-line immigration orders he touted on the campaign trail, including ramping up daily deportations, shutting down a federally run app used by asylum-seekers to request an asylum hearing, and declaring an end to birthright citizenship, a move that is currently being challenged in the courts.

Garbarino's role

Garbarino was among the group of Republican lawmakers invited to attend Wednesday’s ceremony for his role in crafting a provision of the bill targeting migrants who assault police and immigration enforcement agents.

In 2021, Garbarino first introduced a bill aimed at making assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable offense. He reintroduced the bill in April 2023 and it won approval in the Republican-controlled House, but the measure never made it out of committee in the then-Democrat-controlled Senate.

Garbarino said once discussions started on the Riley bill, he met with the Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), one of the Senate sponsors of the bill, to discuss incorporating the provision into the new sweeping bill.

Trump "campaigned on closing the border, making things safer ... I think this just shows that he is keeping his campaign promise to make our streets and neighborhoods safer," Garbarino told Newsday in a phone interview after the bill signing.

The American Civil Liberties Union was among the groups who opposed the measure, stating in a letter to senators sent earlier this month that the bill had the potential to "sweep in many residents — particularly people of color — who are arrested for low-level misdemeanors like shoplifting diapers or a candy bar and then place them in detention centers where it is difficult, if not impossible, to find legal" representation.

Suozzi, who made bipartisan compromise over immigration reform a central part of his past two campaigns, told Newsday after the bill signing that the bipartisan support for the Laken Riley Act demonstrated there are other areas of immigration that could be addressed by both parties.

"The President said in his remarks today that he needs Congress to help him fully fund a secure border," Suozzi said in a text message. "We should do that, as well as fixing the broken asylum system being abused by cartels, and we should give Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status recipients and farmworkers a path forward. Let’s fix this."

Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez; Gary Licker

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.

Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez; Gary Licker

Things to do now on LI Rock climbing? Indoor beach volleyball? Water parks? Arts and crafts? NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to spend your winter break.

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