ATLANTA — President Donald Trump signed the first bill of his second presidency.
It’s an immigration law with murdered nursing student Laken Riley’s name on it.
Both Republicans and Democrats have nothing but sympathy for the parents of Riley and both call her death an awful tragedy, but some Democrats do have concerns about the law that now bears her name.
Riley was murdered by an illegal immigrant last year while jogging at the University of Georgia.
The law requires federal officials to detain illegal immigrants accused of a crime, including theft.
It also empowers states to sue the federal government if it fails to comply with immigration laws.
Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, joined Georgia Republican lawmakers at the bill signing ceremony.
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“There is no amount of change that will ever bring back our precious Laken. Our hope moving forward is that her life saves lives,” Phillips said.
Minutes after the signing ceremony, Channel 2’s Richard Elliot spoke exclusively with Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, who wrote the law.
“It just recognizes a young lady that wanted to spend her whole life saving lives, and the fact that she lost hers to murder by some illegal alien criminal and the fact that her name now will live on in history and this bill, this law will help save lives,” Collins said.
Back at the Georgia State Capitol, Elliot spoke with both sides of the political aisle.
Many democrats worry the new law strips immigrants of their due process rights, but they also mourn Riley’s death.
“The tragedy of this woman’s death I think touches all of us, and we care about the fact that she was in danger based on violence in our society,” Democratic State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver said.
Georgia’s two Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both supported and voted for this bill.
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