Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is the sole Senate Democrat co-sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take illegal aliens into custody when they are arrested, charged, or convicted for petty crimes like burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

On Tuesday morning, the House passed the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support. The legislation, first introduced last year, seeks to make a simple but significant fix to federal immigration law — requiring DHS to take illegal aliens into custody from local police departments when they are arrested, charged, or convicted of certain petty crimes.

Following House passage of the legislation, Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), and Fetterman reintroduced the Laken Riley Act in the Senate with support from the entire Republican caucus.

“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people,” Fetterman said. “No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence.”

Britt, who has led the legislation in the Senate, said now is the time for Congress to send the legislation to President-elect Donald Trump’s desk on day one.

“The American people did not just deliver a mandate on November 5th, they delivered a verdict,” Britt said:

They made it clear they want to remove criminal illegal aliens and protect American families. We will soon know whether Democrats hear, respect, and obey that verdict. Congress has an obligation to Laken, her family, and to families in every corner of our country to do everything in our power to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again. That’s why it’s imperative we pass the commonsense Laken Riley Act with all due haste. No other American family needs to feel the pain Laken’s family still feels 320 days after losing her. [Emphasis added]

Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the United States from the southern border in 2022, murdered 22-year-old Laken Riley, a nursing student in Athens, Georgia, in February of last year while she was out on a morning jog.

Months before Riley’s murder, Jose Antonio Ibarra was issued a citation for shoplifting in Athens and was later issued a bench warrant for failing to appear in court on those charges. Despite the charge, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not take him into custody.

Angel Parents Allyson and John Phillips, Riley’s mother and stepfather, said the legislation is critical to saving innocent American lives.

“She was a beautiful, shining beacon in the life of everyone who knew her,” the Phillips said. “Not only did the people who knew and loved Laken lose a beautiful soul, but so did our world. Laken shared her love for Jesus with everyone she encountered.”

“There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill,” they continued. “Every single member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our country and communities safer.”

Axios reports that several swing state Senate Democrats plan to back the Laken Riley Act, including Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.