Laken Riley Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the Laken Riley Act.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we record into history exactly what happened to this young lady.
This young lady didn't have a care in the world. She was just out for a jog, enjoying the day, when an illegal criminal took her life away. He didn't even have any remorse. He never hesitated.
This legislation could have prevented her death. Her murderer was in our country illegally and was a known criminal. He had abused a child in New York City and was flown to Athens, Georgia, a sanctuary city, all of this on the taxpayers' dime, where he was once again cited for shoplifting. Every part of our system failed Laken that day, and there is nothing we can do to bring her back.
I will tell you what, we can make sure this never happens again. Right now, ICE is unable to detain and deport illegal criminals who commit these minor-level crimes, but the Laken Riley Act will fix this and give ICE and our local law enforcement the tools to get these criminals out of our country and make our communities safer.
We need to get these people off the street. These criminals are getting bolder and bolder while our communities become more and more unsafe. Our lax policies gave her murderer the courage to kill Laken Riley. We have got to make sure that this doesn't ever happen again.
Mr. Speaker, he bashed her head in with a rock. This is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. People need to know what this animal did to her. I am going to tell you what, they also need to know how she fought back. Laken fought back with every ounce in her body. When I spoke to the family about this bill last year, I told them I would never let it go. I will fight with every ounce that I have to make sure that no family has to suffer a loss like they have to these illegal criminals.
Mr. Speaker, it is a sad day in America, it is a sad day when we allow these thug criminals to invade our homes, our country, and impose their violence and their will on the American people. We have the opportunity today, we have the opportunity to fix this, and I encourage all my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes.''
I will leave you with an excerpt from a statement made by Laken Riley's family:
The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we have experienced. Laken would have been 23 on January 10. There is no greater gift that could be given to her or our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill. Every single Member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our country and communities safer.
Mr. Speaker, God help us. God help us.
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