Southeast
Senate Republicans introduce Laken Riley Act, urge immediate consideration of 'commonsense' bill
FIRST ON FOX: Two Senate Republicans introduced the Laken Riley Act, a measure requiring federal immigration authorities to arrest and detain illegal immigrants charged with local theft or burglary, in the upper chamber Tuesday evening.
Introduced by senators Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., the bill serves as the Senate companion to H.R. 7511, originally introduced in the House by Georgia GOP Rep. Mike Collins.
The measure would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny or shoplifting offenses and mandate that those who commit such crimes are detained until they are removed from the United States, so they cannot break the same law or commit further crimes.
Additionally, the bill would ensure that states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law.
HOUSE PASSES LAKEN RILEY ACT REQUIRING ICE TO DETAIN MIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR THEFT
The measure is named after 22-year-old Laken Riley, a college nursing student recently killed on the campus of the University of Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged in the murder, was arrested in New York prior to the murder but was not detained by ICE.
Before being charged with felony murder, Ibarra was once arrested in New York for endangering a child, and he was cited in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting in October 2023 along with his brother, Diego Ibarra, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The measure is named after 22-year-old Laken Riley, a college nursing student recently killed on the campus of the University of Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)
“Make no mistake, Laken Riley’s heartbreaking murder was a direct, preventable consequence of willful open border policies by President Biden and his administration. This commonsense legislation would ensure ICE detains and deports criminal illegal aliens, so more innocent American families do not have to face this kind of unimaginable tragedy,” Britt told Fox News Digital.
“I am grateful for Rep. Collins’ strong leadership and for Sen. Budd’s partnership in introducing this Senate companion bill. Sen. Schumer should bring this bill to the Senate floor immediately.”
JOHNSON CHASTISES BIDEN FOR ‘REGRET’ ON CALLING LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT ‘ILLEGAL’: ‘WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT’
“States should be able to protect their citizens from the Biden administration’s lawless, open border policies by seeking relief in federal court,” Budd told Fox. “That’s why I am joining Sen. Britt to introduce the Senate version of the Laken Riley Act.
Introduced by senators Katie Britt, R-Ala., right, and Ted Budd, R-N.C., left, the bill serves as the Senate companion to H.R. 7511, which was originally introduced in the House by Georgia GOP Rep. Mike Collins. (Getty Images, Laken Riley/Facebook)
“We simply cannot tolerate any more senseless tragedies like this one. What happened to Laken Riley should never happen to any American citizen.”
Collins, who has urged the Senate to take up the legislation immediately to “ensure justice for Laken and give ICE more tools to detain and deport criminal illegal aliens before they commit more serious crimes,” said in a statement shared with Fox he’s “grateful” the “vital” legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
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“The Laken Riley Act passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly and on a bipartisan basis,” Collins said. “I am grateful to Sen. Britt for taking the lead on getting this vital legislation through the Senate, so we can put Laken Riley’s name on Joe Biden’s desk and take a step toward preventing this from happening to another American.”
Collins’ measure was passed by a 251-170 vote last week by the House. All 170 no votes were Democrats. However, 37 Democrats joined Republicans to advance the bill.
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District of Athens, where the fatal attack happened Feb. 22, said the murder of Riley is a “wake-up call” for America and that the measure seeks to combat the “illegal crime wave” that he attributes to the ongoing border crisis.
The measure introduced by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., passed by a 251-170 vote last week in the House. All 170 no votes were Democrats. However, 37 Democrats joined Republicans to advance the bill. (Bill Clark)
In the days following Riley’s death, President Biden faced scrutiny for his comments on the subject.
At the urging of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Biden, during an off-script moment in his State of the Union address last week, decried Riley’s killing by “an illegal.” The president later backtracked during an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart, saying he should have instead used the word “undocumented” to describe Ibarra.
“I shouldn’t have used illegal, I should’ve … it’s undocumented,” Biden told Capehart. “And, look, when I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about on the border was his — the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood. I talked about what I’m not going to do, what I won’t do. I’m not going to treat any, any, any of these people with disrespect. Look, they built the country.”
The White House said Monday Biden “did not apologize.”
“First of all, I want to be really clear about something: The president absolutely did not apologize. There was no apology anywhere in that conversation,” principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One. “He did not apologize. He used a different word.”
The companion measure in the Senate featured more than 30 original GOP co-sponsors, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., John Boozman, R-Ark., Mike Braun R-Ind., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., John Hoeven, R-N.D., John Kennedy, R-La., James Lankford, R-Okla., Mike Lee R-Utah, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., John Thune, R-S.D., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, Aubrie Spady, Thomas Phippen, and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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This year several crime victims took it upon themselves to fight back against their attackers, and videos captured the incidents. Here is a recap of some of 2024’s most notable examples.
ROAD RAGE RESPONSE
Back in March, a truck driver was attacked by a colleague on the road. Deputies were called to a Love’s Travel Stop for a report of shots fired during a road rage incident along Interstate 75 near Ocala, Florida, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said.
The victim said he was driving a semi-truck southbound on Interstate 75 when Dylan Belleastin, 43, threw a water bottle at his truck.
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“The footage clearly depicted him shooting at the victim at two separate times,” MCSO said. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
“The victim pulled over to confront Belleastin but decided against it and drove away,” MCSO said on Facebook. “Belleastin then continued to follow the victim and eventually pulled alongside him again, at which time he fired several shots toward the victim.”
Deputies say the victim decelerated in an attempt to avoid being struck before returning fire toward Belleastin “out of fear for his own life.”
Dash camera footage from Belleastin’s semi-truck cab “clearly depicted him shooting at the victim at two separate times,” MCSO said. The suspect was arrested days later, and charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, and displaying a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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BIKINI BARISTA STRIKES BACK
In June, the owner of a Seattle bikini espresso shop defended her decision to smash a customer’s windshield with a hammer after he threw coffee at her.
The incident at Taste of Heaven Espresso was caught on camera at 3 p.m. June 11 and shared in a now-viral social media video. Emma Lee, 23, told FOX 13 Seattle it was not the first time the customer had been disrespectful, and she wants him held accountable for his actions.
What transpired on video was the culmination of a 15-minute exchange over the price of a 32-ounce coffee and 24-ounce water, Lee said. The price tag was $22.
“You don’t get to name your own price,” Lee told FOX 13, adding the man screamed, spit and tried to pry open the business’ window. “It was a threat. I felt in danger. It’s OK for him to be outraged about the price of his drinks, enough to assault me, but it’s not appropriate for me to respond?”
Police can be seen at the espresso stand taking a report of the alleged assault. (FOX 13 Seattle)
CARJACKING THWARTED
In October, a D.C. bartender was attacked on video while at a gas station by three teenagers who tried to take off with his Jeep.
The suspect, Randy White, told FOX 5 DC the teens demanded his belongings. He instead fought back until the trio eventually gave up and left the gas station.
“Where I grew up, it’s just… I work too hard for what I have,” White told the local Fox station. “I can’t give up my property like that. It’s not in me. I wasn’t raised that way. I was just hoping that they would see that I am resisting them and they would’ve just given up or went off, but that wasn’t the case. I was able to keep them occupied and fight them off long enough that they ended up cutting their losses and hitting bricks.”
QUICK-THINKING CALLER
Not all who fought back did so physically.
Also in October, a Florida woman who was being held captive prior to an alleged attempted rape called 911 to order a “pizza.”
“I would like to order a pizza,” a 911 call shared by Volusia Sheriff’s Office on social media starts out. “I’m so stuck in here.”
The suspect is caught by deputies on top of the victim in a field in Volusia County, Florida, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Volusia Sheriff’s Office)
“OK. Are you aware you’re calling 911?” the dispatcher asks the female caller, who responds, “Yes, I’m sure I’m calling to that number.”
Dispatchers were able to “triangulate her phone,” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, explaining that the victim did not know her location. The victim was able to tell the dispatcher she was being held by an unarmed man. Once her location was determined, deputies were sent out.
The victim can be heard screaming for help in shared body camera footage.
“He’s trying to rape me. Can you help me?” she asked.
“Thank you, Lord!” she repeatedly said while crying, after being rescued. “Thank you, Jesus.”
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Two Hurricane Helene victims, a family of four and a Vietnam veteran, gifted campers on Christmas Day
Two families in North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Helene received the gifts of a lifetime on Christmas Day – a new place to call home.
The first recipient was the Penley family, of Boone, North Carolina, who lost everything during the storm.
The family of four was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday following the birth of their second child and was planning on moving into a homeless shelter until EmergencyRV stepped in.
“We weren’t gonna have that at EmergencyRV. We got this trailer here for them and it’s going to be a great place for them to stay now,” the company said in a video posted on X.
PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS, FIRST RESPONDERS
The Penley family (pictured with EmergencyRV founder Woody Faircloth and his daughter on the far right), of North Carolina, was gifted a camper from EmergencyRV on Christmas Day after losing their home to Hurricane Helene. (EmergencyRV/X)
The RV gifted to the Penleys will comfortably fit their family, which consists of two adults, a toddler and a newborn. It has a bedroom on one side of the camper and two sleeping areas on the other side, along with a nice-sized bathroom and a large kitchen area with seating at a table and a couch.
The second recipient was Timothy McCord, a 70-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. Helene tore the roof off of his camper, where he continued to live despite experiencing leaks and other damage.
EmergencyRV traveled to Canton, North Carolina, to gift him a brand-new camper after McCord’s daughter contacted the company explaining that he needed help.
“You helped me turn my life around and I appreciate it,” McCord said when his new home was delivered.
Timothy McCord, 70, was gifted a brand-new camper by EmergencyRV after Hurricane Helene ripped the roof off the camper he was living in. (EmergencyRV/X)
HURRICANE HELENE VICTIM GIFTED A TINY HOME JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS AFTER HELPING STORM-RAVAGED COMMUNITY
EmergencyRV is a non-profit organization that provides housing to displaced survivors of natural disasters and has gifted 77 campers to people impacted by Helene since the storm wreaked havoc in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee at the end of September. The RVs are gifted completely free with a clean title in the recipient’s name.
The organization said it has 700 families on its waiting list who have been fully vetted and are truly in need of help following a natural disaster.
The brand-new camper that was donated and delivered to Timothy McCord through EmergencyRV. (EmergencyRV/X)
“We take this seriously as we have limited resources,” the organization said on X. “We also ensure that the family has a legal and safe place to park an RV before we will gift it and deliver to them.”
Though they prioritize veterans and first responders, EmergencyRV said they have helped families and singles who lost their home or suffered serious damage in Helene.
EmergencyRV was established by Woody Faircloth and his then 6-year-old daughter in 2018 in response to the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Their goal was to raise enough money to bless one family impacted by the fire with a RV. They were able to do that and have since donated hundreds of RVs to victims of wildfires and other natural disasters.
Read the full article from Here
A Florida man was arrested for his 35th time right before Christmas, after stealing a car and attempting to escape authorities.
Kevin Campana, 31, was taken into custody on Monday after allegedly breaking into a local auto repair shop in Edgewater, Florida and stealing a customer’s car while wearing no shoes, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
Read the full article from Here
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