Trump signs Laken Riley Act, first bill of his new term

Washington — President Trump on Wednesday signed the Laken Riley Act, which aims to expand the federal government's mandate to detain immigrants who are in the country illegally, marking the first legislation signed in Mr. Trump's new term. 

The Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant last year, expands mandatory detention to include noncitizens convicted of or charged with burglary, larceny, theft or shoplifting, as well as those who admit to committing those crimes. It also empowers state attorneys general who claim their states or residents have been harmed by immigration policies to sue the federal government.

The House approved the legislation last week, sending the measure to the president's desk after the Senate expanded its scope to include the assault of a law enforcement officer and crimes that result in the death "or serious bodily injury of another person" as grounds for mandatory detention. The legislation passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support, despite pushback from some Democrats.