The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that federal authorities have arrested and detained more than 17,500 people it describes as "criminal illegal aliens" under the Laken Riley Act, a law signed earlier this year by president Trump that mandates detention for certain noncitizens accused of specific crimes.
In a statement, DHS said the law requires federal detention of noncitizens accused of offenses including theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The statute is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student killed in 2024 by a Venezuelan national who had previously been released after earlier arrests.
