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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Yes.

The Laken Riley Act requires federal authorities to detain immigrants who entered the country illegally and are arrested for, or charged with, violent crimes or theft, including shoplifting. 

This can lead to deportation because generally, such immigrants are subject to deportation. 

Immigrants without authorization can also be deported if convicted of certain felonies or “moral turpitude” crimes, including theft.

But the Laken Riley Act does not require conviction.

The Act does not state age restrictions, though minors have detention protections.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the Madison area, made a claim about shoplifting and the Act before President Donald Trump signed it on Jan. 29.

Riley, a Georgia college student, was murdered Feb. 22, 2024, by a Venezuelan. Border Patrol agents apprehended him for illegal entry in September 2022. He was released to pursue his case in immigration court. 

Research shows that immigrants are not more likely than native-born U.S. citizens to commit crimes.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

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Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time reporter in October 2024. He started as a fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.