President Donald Trump has signed into law the first bill of his second term, and it’s the one piece of legislation that Congressional Republicans had targeted to land on his desk as quickly as possible upon his return to the White House: the Laken Riley Act.
In an emotional ceremony in the White House East Room, Trump, joined by Laken’s mother, sister and stepfather, signed the bill into law, saying, “We’re going to sign this in honor of Laken Riley.” Trump called on the bill sponsors, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), to join him at the signing desk.
Before the signing ceremony, Trump told the audience some of the tragic details that led to “precious” Laken’s murder in February 2024 at the hands of a violent illegal from Venezuela, who was apprehended by federal law enforcement officials when he crossed the southern border in 2022, but was let go by the “cruel” Biden administration. Laken’s murderer, despite being arrested multiple times for offenses like child endangerment and shoplifting, was repeatedly released back into society unmonitored, thus was free to stalk and kill the young nursing student.