The father of the nursing student who was murdered on the University of Georgia campus asked Governor Brian Kemp to detain and deport “criminal illegals” to prevent future crime.
Jason Riley addressed the Georgia Senate on March 20, where a resolution honoring his daughter Laken was presented.
"I am a heartbroken man; part of my purpose has been taken," said Mr. Riley, per WGAU. “God gave me a beautiful daughter to father, protect, provide for and nurture. A man with an evil heart stole her life. He was in this country and in this state illegally. My vision for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion.”
Riley asked lawmakers to consider that the millions of illegal immigrants who have entered the United States in the last three years are “making families nervous.” He also attributed Athens-Clarke’s status as a sanctuary city and the subsequent “lack of action” to his daughter’s murder.
“There are a few of you in this chamber that are standing up and working on that solution to protect us,” he said. “For that, my family is thankful.”
Riley pleaded with Governor Brian Kemp to take action in the face of illegal immigration.
“Governor Kemp, please declare an invasion to detain and deport criminal illegals so we can prevent future families from those tragedies,” he said during his remarks. “Hundreds of women and children each month … are being smuggled, coerced, and trafficked in our state. They are victims, just like Laken. I thank you for honoring Laken in this way, and I humbly ask you to do more to protect us.”
Riley attended the proceeding with Laken Riley’s stepmother, Amanda, and her step-siblings as guests of state Senator Colton Moore, per the Union-Bulletin.
The United States House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the detention of any illegal alien who commits burglary or theft in honor of the slain nursing student. The policy, known as the Laken Riley Act, was passed 251-170 on March 7 with 37 Democrats joining House Republicans in support of the measure. Hours later, President Biden referred to Laken Riley as “Lincoln” during his State of the Union address in the same chamber.
Laken Riley was found on Feb. 23 after being reported missing when she failed to return from a jog. The 22-year-old was declared dead at the scene and her cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man arrested on suspicion of killing her, illegally entered the United States near El Paso, Texas in September 2022. He was allowed to stay in the country while his immigration case was considered. He was later arrested in September of 2023 in New York. Ibarra has been charged with a slew of felonies, including malice murder, murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another. In the affidavit, law enforcement alleged that the 26-year-old Venezuelan national physically hindering a 911 call, dragged the college student to a secluded area, and seriously disfigured her skull.
