Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) rejected the GOP-led Laken Riley Act as “smoke and mirrors” Tuesday, stating that the immigration legislation was introduced by lawmakers “who are not serious.”
House Republicans, who were in the majority, passed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that the Department of Homeland Security detain individuals living in the U.S. unlawfully if they have been charged with theft-related offenses. Warnock opposed the legislation on MSNBC’s “The Reid Out,” pointing out that Congress already has a bipartisan agreement on border-related issues.
“First and foremost, I want to express my condolences to the family of this young woman. Laken Riley did not deserve what happened to her,” he mentioned.
“To put it simply, this is a deceptive proposal by individuals who are not serious. We had a bipartisan piece of legislation in front of us. It had many provisions, some of which were opposed by some members on my side. However, the only way to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, and address the current border crisis in a divided government, is through bipartisan cooperation,” he added.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was discovered dead last month after her roommate reported that she had not returned from a morning run on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus. Authorities have stated that she was murdered by a Venezuelan migrant who entered the country unlawfully in 2022.
Since then, Republicans have used her death to draw attention to the situation at the southern border. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, left a seat empty for her at President Biden’s State of the Union address last week.
Warnock previously criticized Republicans for trying to “gain political advantage” in relation to Riley’s death after her name was mentioned during the State of the Union address. He stated in his interview with host Joy Reid that lawmakers should “get serious” about the border.
“Instead of using this tragic death of this young woman for political gain, they should take it seriously. Let’s pass some bipartisan legislation and address the crisis at the border,” he remarked.
