Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Holding Criminal Illegal Aliens Accountable

The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to secure our borders. President Biden utterly failed to do that. Criminal illegal aliens have been allowed to enter and roam our country. Americans like Laken Riley died as a result. This week, I voted to advance legislation I co-lead to hold criminal illegal aliens accountable. I’m going to keep fighting until we secure our border. 

President Biden’s open border policies created a national security, humanitarian, and drug catastrophe. CBP encountered 585 people on the terror watchlist at the southern border since October of 2021. We’ve also had 10.5 million border encounters since Biden took office. On a single day in December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 12,600 migrants at our southern border. That set a new all-time daily record.  Record amounts of deadly drugs have poured over the border, leading to the deaths of Nebraskans like Taryn Lee Griffith. These numbers led even the New York Times to call this recent immigration surge the “largest in U.S. history.”  

Jose Ibarra was one of these illegal aliens. Ibarra, a Venezuelan, crossed the border illegally in 2022. He told law enforcement he was seeking asylum. His wife said he just wanted a better job. The Biden administration abused parole and released him into our country. Ibarra was bussed to New York City. He received free food and shelter, paid for by American taxpayers. He continued to break our laws. He was arrested by NYPD for “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17.” Instead of being deported, he was released under New York’s sanctuary city policies. Ibarra then moved to Georgia. He was arrested again, this time for shoplifting. Again, he was released, not deported. Shortly thereafter, he brutally murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley near her campus.

Laken Riley’s murder was a direct result of Biden’s failed border policies. The policies allowed her killer to enter and roam our country. The policies allowed him the opportunity to commit a heinous crime. The policies must change. My colleagues and I are working with President Trump to do that. 

When people cross our border illegally and break our laws, they must be held accountable. The Laken Riley Act would accomplish that. It would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses. It would mandate that these aliens are detained until they can be deported. This will prevent them from committing additional crimes while they await deportation. 

A clear majority of Americans want to crack down on illegal immigration. According to election exit polls, voters preferred President Trump over Vice President Harris to handle immigration by a margin of 9 points. And a Reuters poll found that more Americans said immigration should be Trump’s top priority than any other issue.

Americans gave President Trump a mandate to secure the border. The Laken Riley Act is one of the solutions we need to help keep Americans safe. Congratulations to the House of Representatives for passing this legislation with bipartisan support. The U.S. Senate is following up to send this important legislation to the president’s desk. I’ll keep pushing until we accomplish that mission