Senate And Assembly Republicans Rename Bill That Would Allow Law Enforcement Cooperation With Federal Immigration Officials To “Laken's Law”

“Laken Riley was tragically murdered because New York’s sanctuary policy means that migrants here illegally and who commit a crime have greater protection than law-abiding citizens. Laken would be alive if not for Joe Biden’s open border and Governor Hochul’s perverse and dangerous sanctuary state policy,” said Senate Republican Deputy Leader Andrew Lanza.

Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, Deputy Republican Leader Andrew Lanza, along with Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay and Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo today announced they are renaming S.8533/A.9167 to “Laken’s Law.”

In the wake of the tragic death of Laken Riley, members of the Senate and Assembly Republican Conferences are blasting Governor Hochul for failing to protect Laken Riley . Her killer, illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra, had an alarming criminal history yet sanctuary laws on the books in New York allowed him to walk free after being arrested for reckless endangerment of a child, and then travel to Georgia where he murdered Laken Riley in broad daylight as she was out for a jog. 

“It is well past time for the insanity to end – New York must end sanctuary policies that keep law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities when crimes are committed. Since we stood here two weeks ago in support of legislation that would do just that, the nation has been watching the case of Laken Riley with horror – the life of a bright young woman who’s life was brutally cut short by an illegal immigrant. Make no mistake, Laken Riley would be alive today, if not for the bad policies, championed by state and federal Democrats, who opened our borders and continue to refuse to hold criminals accountable,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt.   

“The senseless murder of Laken Riley is a tragic and horrific incident that could, and should, have been prevented. Now, her family and friends are in the heartbreaking process of grieving their loved one because of Joe Biden’s broken border policies and New York’s soft-on-crime agenda. Nearly 200,000 illegal immigrants have come to New York. Why are we still refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities?  Democrats are fighting harder to protect the state’s sanctuary status than to protect the well-being of New Yorkers. We need to restore the basic protocols of collaboration that were in place for decades. The continued refusal to pass ‘Laken’s Law’ is dangerous and deadly,”said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay.

The Senate Republican Conference repeatedly has called on the Governor to take action to address the migrant crisis. Democrat sanctuary and open border policies are impacting the quality of life of every New Yorker, causing chaos and danger in our communities. 

In response to the inaction of the Governor, Senator Lanza and Assemblyman Gandolfo introduced  legislation (S.8533/A.9167) that would require local and state law enforcement and certain courts to notify ICE of the arrest or conviction of non-citizens, would reinstate the maximum sentence for 365 day maximum sentence for a class A misdemeanor, and would repeal the “protect our courts act” of 2020 which was designed to discourage cooperation and enforcement of federal immigration laws.

“New York Democrats have actively undermined federal immigration authorities for years, and have even passed laws to protect illegal immigrants who commit crimes against United States citizens from deportation. Ultimately, it's innocent people like Laken Riley who pay the price for these reckless sanctuary policies. Laken's Law would require cooperation between law enforcement agencies and ICE, which could have saved her life,” said Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo.