Republican Rep. Mike Collins, struggling in his challenge of incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia, leaned heavily on the Laken Riley Act during his appearance at his party's midterm convention in Dallas.

"Every life taken by an illegal immigrant is preventable," he said. "But it can only be stopped when we have leaders that will prioritize American lives." Collins praised President Trump for signing the act, passed in 2025, which requires the deportation of immigrants who are accused-although not yet convicted-of specific crimes if they are in the country illegally. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia, was killed in 2024 by a man who had entered the U.S. without authorization. Members of her family, in attendance at the convention, were featured in an emotional video about the case before Collins spoke. Ossoff voted for the act.