Laken Riley Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act.

For the third time in three months, House Republicans are bringing their repackaged partisan talking points to the floor and reviling America's immigrant communities. H.R. 7511 is another bill that undermines constitutional due process and politicizes a tragedy. The murder of Laken Riley is tragic, and it should not be exploited by Republicans looking to use it to pass their harmful legislation.

This bill would compel the Department of Homeland Security to take into custody all non-citizens who have been arrested for theft. No conviction is required, and no additional resources are provided to the Department to carry out this mandate. As I've said before, in America, you are innocent until proven guilty. This has been the law of the land for hundreds of years. This bill is another poorly written slippery slope that undermines the rights of all people legally present in the United States.

Laken Riley's murder is a tragedy. She was a 22-year-old college student who should still be alive today. Republicans are using this horrible event as a political ploy, when they should be coming to the table to find meaningful, bipartisan solutions to fix our broken immigration system. Until then, their dangerous and partisan ploys ring hollow.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source