Laken Riley Act

Senate Bill

S. 5

119th Congress

Laken Riley Act

Became Public Law No: 119-1.

Introduced:Jan 6, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Katie Boyd Britt

Senator

Republican

AL

Cosponsors

53

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Immigration

Summary

This bill requires DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It also allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement failures causing harm exceeding 100 dollars. States can sue over decisions to release non-citizens from custody, asylum processing failures, visa issuance violations, parole limitation violations, and failures to detain those ordered removed. Named for Laken Riley, who was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Latest Action

Became Public Law No: 119-1.

SponsorKatie Boyd Britt (R-AL)

Introduced1/6/2025

StatusBecame Public Law No: 119-1.

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

See this page through your district lens

Enter ZIP to personalize representatives and vote context.

Stay on top of this issue

Subscribe for weekly bill and representative updates.

Vote Prediction

Laken Riley Act

This bill requires DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It also allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement f

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill requires DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It also allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement failures causing harm exceeding 100 dollars. States can sue over decisions to release non-citizens from custody, asylum processing failures, visa issuance violations, parole limitation violations, and failures to detain those ordered removed. Named for Laken Riley, who was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Bill Number: 5
Sponsor: Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL)
Introduced: 1/6/2025
Status: Became Public Law No: 119-1.
Policy Area: Immigration

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Laken Riley Act
Bill Number: 5
Sponsor: Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL)
Status: Became Public Law No: 119-1.
Introduced: 1/6/2025
Summary: This bill requires DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It also allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement failures causing harm exceeding 100 dolla

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires DHS to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It also allows states to sue the federal government for immigration enforcement failures causing harm exceeding 100 dollars. States can sue over decisions to release non-citizens from custody, asylum processing failures, visa issuance violations, parole limitation violations, and failures to detain those ordered removed. Named for Laken Riley, who was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Laken Riley ActThis bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a<ul><li>decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;</li><li>failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;</li><li>failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;</li><li>violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or</li><li>failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.</li></ul>

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Mandates detention for theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting charges
Allows states to sue federal government over immigration failures
100 dollar harm threshold for state lawsuits
Covers release decisions, asylum processing, visa issuance
Named for Laken Riley, victim of undocumented immigrant crime

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

For DHS: Mandatory detention requirements for property crime arrestees. For states: Legal standing to challenge federal immigration decisions. For undocumented immigrants: Expanded detention for property crime charges. For federal courts: New category of state vs federal immigration lawsuits. For immigration enforcement: Increased accountability to state governments.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Immigration

Related Subjects

Border security and unlawful immigration

Civil actions and liability

Crimes against property

Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Detention of persons

Immigration status and procedures

Intergovernmental relations

Refugees, asylum, displaced persons

State and local government operations

Violent crime

+1 more

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

5, 119th Congress (2025). "Laken Riley Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-5

Public Opinions

Community submissions related to this bill.

Share your opinion

No public opinions yet. Be the first to submit one for this bill.

Related Bills in Immigration

S 1292

Save Our Seafood Act

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

S 1208

Privacy Act Modernization Act of 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

HR 2366

American Families United Act

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

HR 2349

Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for