- ‘We are not going to forget her,’ Trump said during his visit to the border
- Authorities charged 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra of Venezuela with Riley’s death.
- Both Trump and Biden traveled to the southern border on Thursday to talk about the immigration crisis
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Former President Donald Trump traveled to the southern Texas border on Thursday, condemning President Joe Biden’s record on immigration enforcement and blaming him for the death of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
“Joe Biden will never say Laken Riley’s name, but we will say it and we will remember it,” Trump said. “We are not going to forget her.”
The former president spoke of how the “beautiful young woman” was “kidnapped and savagely murdered” by an illegal immigrant while out jogging.
This undated image provided by Augusta University shows Laken Hope Riley, a nursing student whose body was found Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia.
This photo, provided by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, shows Jose Ibarra, 26, on Friday, February 23, 2024.
Authorities charged 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra of Venezuela with Riley’s death.
According to ICE, Ibarra illegally crossed into the United States near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released to the United States. He was also arrested in New York in September 2023, but was released before he could be deported.
Riley’s death sent shock waves through the Athens, Georgia, community as Republicans blamed the crime on Biden’s weak border policies. Trump agreed.
“The monster who charged to death is an illegal alien migrant who was allowed into our country by corrupt Joe Biden and released into our communities,” Trump said.
Trump revealed that he had spoken with Riley’s parents on Wednesday.
“They are incredibly devastated,” he said.
Riley’s father, John Phillips, and mother, Allyson Phillips, released a statement mourning their daughter’s death.
“Laken was an incredible daughter, sister, friend, and overall person. Her love for the Lord was exemplified in every aspect of her life. We will miss her every day, but we promise to honor her life in the future in a very big way. “reads the statement.
Both Trump and Biden traveled to the southern border on Thursday.
Laken Riley, her mother, Allyson Phillips, and her father, John
Trump also specifically mentioned the deaths of several other young Americans allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants, accusing the president of having the “blood of countless innocent victims” on his hands.
Both Trump and Biden traveled to the southern border on Thursday to highlight the ongoing migrant crisis, blaming each other for allowing it to continue.
Biden did not mention Riley’s death during his remarks Thursday, but blamed Trump for helping to sabotage a bipartisan Senate deal in February to fund more resources for the border.
“This is what I would say to Mr. Trump,” Biden said. ‘Instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me or I will join you in telling Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can do it together. Instead of playing politics, let’s do it.”