Laken Riley Act
| Date | Chamber | What was voted on | Result | Yes–No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 2024 | House · vote #66 | On Passage | Passed | 251–170 | See who voted → |
Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.
Laken Riley Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.
Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted for, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a
- decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;
- failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;
- failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;
- violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or
- failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 341.
- Engrossed in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Placed on Calendar Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Placed on Calendar Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 7511: Laken Riley Act. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-7511/
"H.R. 7511: Laken Riley Act." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-7511/.
H.R. 7511, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-7511/.
[H.R. 7511: Laken Riley Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-7511/)