New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella is urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Laken Riley Act, which was voted out of the House last week with a bipartisan majority.
The measure, which would require illegal immigrants who commit theft or similar offenses to be detained rather than released, is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia. She was murdered while on a run, allegedly by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who had previously been arrested in New York for endangering a child, and in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting.
Formella is one of 25 state attorneys general calling on senators like Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen to pass the Laken Riley Act.
“It’s clear President Biden’s repeated actions of ignoring the rule of law and abandoning successful policies have created a border crisis of historic proportions,” the attorneys general wrote in a letter to Senate leadership. “As attorneys general, we are fighting to preserve the rule of law and keep our states safe when the federal government fails to act or, in the case of illegal immigration, actively makes it worse. To that end, we applaud the bill’s enforcement provision for state attorneys general.”
Formella has the support of Granite State Republicans.
“We are very glad that Attorney General Formella joined 24 other states in supporting the Laken Riley Act,” said State Senate President Jeb Bradley and Majority Leader Sharon Carson in a joint statement.
“Over the past several months, story after story has been reported on drug trafficking, rapes, and murders by illegal aliens coming across our open borders. We need to secure our borders now so that Americans are not threatened by this crime wave.”
The two Republican candidates for governor are also on board.
“Joe Biden’s refusal to secure our borders led to the heartbreaking and preventable murder of Laken Riley,” said former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte. “Supporting this bill is a no-brainer, and so is further action to secure our borders and end sanctuary policies. As governor, my top priority will be keeping Granite Staters safe. We will fix our broken bail law that allows dangerous criminals back into New Hampshire communities, and I will ensure New Hampshire never becomes a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.”
Former State Senate President Chuck Morse issued a statement calling out Rep. Annie Kuster for voting against the bill (Rep. Chris Pappas was part of the bipartisan majority) and urging the state’s Democratic senators to do the right thing.
“If Joe Biden had secured our borders, Laken Riley might still be here,” Morse said. “We must secure our borders, reject amnesty, and oppose sanctuary city policies.
“It’s imperative that our U.S senators stand up for the safety and well-being of Granite State families by supporting the Laken Riley Act. Any senator who fails to prioritize the safety of our state’s families does not have our best interests at heart. I’ll always protect New Hampshire families as governor.”
Formella and his colleagues argued the law is needed to prevent future tragedies.
“We believe the Laken Riley Act is a strong bill that can act as another arrow in the quiver when it comes to combatting illegal immigration and protecting Americans. Please advance this bill to a vote as soon as possible. Laken Riley should still be alive. Let her memory be used to protect others before it’s too late.”
