Georgia House passes measure allowing arrests of suspected illegal migrants

In the wake of the tragic murder of nursing student Laken Riley, the Georgia state House took action and passed legislation that would permit the arrest of anyone suspected of being present in the country illegally, as The Hill reports.

The measure was approved by a margin of 97-74, and it allows police to make an arrest of anyone for whom there is probable cause to suspect unlawful presence in the United States.

The clear impetus for the move came from the death of Riley last week in the town of Athens, an event that spurred outrage across the country, particularly due to the facts surrounding the suspect in the case.

The individual currently held in Riley's death is a Venezuelan man named Jose Ibarra, someone who reportedly entered the U.S. illegally back in 2022.

Though initially detained by ICE, Ibarra was subsequently released, arrested later in New York on charges related to a minor, and then released again before federal authorities could seek another arrest by local law enforcement.

Under the terms of the Georgia bill, sheriffs and other jailers would be required to report anyone without proper documentation to federal authorities.

Failure to do so could result in a loss of state funds or federal funds administered by the state.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rep. Jesse Petrea, who sponsored the bill, indicated that he spearheaded this type of effort over the past year, but that it was Riley's death that propelled it to greater visibility.

House Speaker Jon Burns lauded the bill's passage in the lower chamber, from which it will now move to the state Senate.

“While we continue to pray for Laken Riley and her family, the Georgia House took action today to strengthen public safety and security in our state, stand firmly against illegal immigration and for the rule of law – and I am proud of the passage of House Bill 1105,” Burns declared.

Not everyone was as enthusiastic about the measure, however with Rep. Pedro Marin suggesting that offenses perpetrated by individuals ought not be used as weapons to generalize about entire communities.

Marin further claimed that the bill was racial profiling in disguise.

Riley's death has prompted a groundswell of outrage and calls to action from politicians at the state and national level, with former President Donald Trump speaking out on the issue as a means to highlight the approach he plans to take on immigration should he return to the White House.

As Fox News reports, referencing Riley's murder, Trump promised that he would “immediately seal the border” and launch the “largest deportation operation of illegal criminals in American history” once re-elected, but whether he has the chance to fulfill that pledge, only time will tell.