House Democrats are facing criticism for voting against The Laken Riley Act, a bill designed to streamline the deportation process for illegal migrant criminals.

The bill, named in memory of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student who was killed by a repeat criminal named Jose Ibarra, received bipartisan support, passing with a vote of 264-159 on Tuesday.

Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who had entered the U.S. illegally, had a history of committing crimes before tragically taking the life of the nursing student in February 2024.

Ibarra was arrested in New York for endangering a child and was cited in Georgia for shoplifting, but wasn’t detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before Riley’s murder despite being known to authorities. 

He was later convicted in November of 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to rape and more for Riley’s death. 

The Laken Riley Act requires ICE to detain migrants who have been charged with theft and other crimes. It also enables individual states to sue the federal government if it or its citizens are harmed by immigration related actions. 

On Tuesday, 159 Democrats voted against the Laken Riley Act.

‘What in the world? 159 Democrats voted against the Laken Riley act. Why would you in favor of rapists and murderers?’ Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said on X after the vote. 

Laken Riley, 22, a Georgia nursing student, was murdered while out on a run by Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra, 26, in February 2024. A bill enabling ICE to deal more broadly with criminal illegal immigrants was passed by the House for a second time in her honor on Tuesday

Ibarra was charged in November with 10 counts related to Riley’s murder

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer delivers remarks on the Laken Riley Act during a press conference on Tuesday.  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (C) said that the House will vote on Tuesday on the Laken Riley Act, a bill that requires the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants who commit certain nonviolent crimes such as theft and shoplifting

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., similarly posted on X: ‘Today, we passed the Laken Riley Act to ensure illegal aliens who commit theft offenses, like her killer, are deported before they can reoffend. Shamefully, 159 Democrats voted against it.’

Speaker Mike Johnson noted the importance of the bill after it passed in a press release.

‘Laken Riley was brutally murdered by an illegal alien that President Biden and the Democrats let into this country with their open border policy,’ Johnson’s statement said. ‘It is hard to believe after countless horrific stories like Laken’s, any House Democrats would vote against deporting illegal aliens who commit violent crimes against American citizens.’

‘But 159 just did, demonstrating some Democrats have ignored the loud and clear message from voters in this election who demanded secure borders, the deportation of violent illegal aliens, and laws that put the safety and security of the American people first.’

The Laken Riley Act previously passed in March 2024 with 251 Republicans and Democrats supporting the measure, but the bill was never brought up for a vote by Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer last Congress.

In total, 170 Democrats voted against the bill at the time.

This time 48 House Democrats voted for the measure, up from 37 who voted for it last March. 

In March last year when the bill first passed firebrand Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lambasted Democratic Georgia lawmakers for not supporting the act. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin urged his Democratic colleagues to vote against the Laken Riley Act 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with many other Democrats, voted against the bill 

‘This is something that will be made known across the entire state,’ she wrote on X. ‘What an absolute disgrace. 

‘Democrats standing lockstep with Joe Biden and his open border policies have blood on their hands,’ her post continued. 

Fox News contributor Joe Concha fretted on social media: ‘How any lawmaker can oppose this speaks volumes of the current state of the Democratic Party.’

 Democrats, meanwhile, say the Republican-led measure is a political football. 

‘House Republicans are once again attempting to use a horrible tragedy for political gain,’ Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a statement to his colleagues about the bill. 

‘This is the Republican playbook over and over again: Scare people about immigrants, never propose anything that actually solves an outdated and arcane immigration system,’ Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said before the vote. 

Final picture of tragic Laken Riley before she was murdered

Responding to Jayapal’s speech, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted on X: ‘The radical Left is going to vote against the Laken Riley Act, with a Squad member comparing Laken ’s brutal murder to kids shoplifting chips. Unreal.’ 

But in total, a large group of Democrats backed the bill. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who is known to split with his party on immigration and the Israel war, actually co-sponsored the bill in the Senate, becoming the first Democrat senator to voice support for the GOP bill. 

Shortly after Fetterman’s announcement, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., also told reporters that he would support the act in the Senate. 

The bill would need 60 votes in the Senate to beat a filibuster and pass.