Laken Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips wept as she thanked President Donald Trump for keeping his promises and honoring the memory of her daughter with the passage of the “Laken Riley Act.”
During a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, Trump signed into law the bipartisan bill, written after Laken, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was killed in February of 2024 by an illegal alien. The bill requires federal officials to arrest non-citizens accused of violent and theft-related crimes in the United States, as previously reported.
Phillips and President Trump shared an embrace before she took to the podium and spoke emotionally about the passage of the act and her daughter’s legacy.
Laken Riley’s mother weeps as she thanks President Trump for keeping his promises and honoring the memory of her daughter: pic.twitter.com/HhxPIpmhzq
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 29, 2025
“Our family will forever be grateful for the prayers of the people across our nation and for helping to get this legislation into law,” Phillips’ said. “We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken.”
She then began to break down, tearing up as she described the president as a “man of his word” and said, “We trust that he will fight for the American people.”
“Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ because, without his sacrifices, Laken’s story would’ve ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us,” Allyson said through tears. “But because of Him, we can continue living knowing that we will see Laken again.”
“There is no amount of change that will ever bring back our precious Laken,” she added while trying to hold back tears. “Our hope, moving forward, is that her life saves lives.”
“We are so thankful that her passion for helping others and her legacy for doing good in the name of Jesus Christ will carry on,” Phillips continued. “Thank you.”
The immigration legislation was passed through both the GOP-led House and Senate with bipartisan support. It is the first bill that Trump has signed into law during his nascent second term in the White House. Under the law, federal officials are directed to detain non-citizens charged with, convicted of, or who admit to theft-related or violent offenses. It also authorizes states to sue over federal immigration actions.
During the signing, Trump promised the family that “we will keep Laken’s memory alive in our hearts forever.”
“Everyone’s hearts,” he added. “With today’s action, her name will also live forever in the laws of our country. And this is a very important law. This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together — that’s not easy to do. Laken did it. Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece.
Related: House Passes Revamped Laken Riley Act, Sends Bill To Trump
