Jason Riley, the father of 22-year-old Laken Riley, said in an interview this week that his daughter’s accused killer “might not have been here” if the southern border had been secured.
To recap, on Feb. 22, Laken Riley left her home to go for a jog at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. She never returned home. After she was reported missing, her body was discovered by UGA police. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma, the Athens-Clarke County Coroner said.
Shortly after, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, was arrested in connection with Laken Riley’s murder. He is in the United States illegally, which Townhall covered.
In his first on-camera interview, Jason Riley opened up about his daughter’s death. He was asked if a different immigration policy may have prevented her death.
"We have no idea if that would have changed anything, but he’s here illegally," Jason Riley said. "That he might not have been here had we had secure borders."
Laken Riley's father is speaking out after the brutal murder of his daughter by an illegal alien.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 18, 2024
"He's here illegally ... he might not have been here had we had secure borders."pic.twitter.com/5SOIwHhr7I
"I'd rather her not be such a political, how you say — it started a storm in our country," Jason Riley added, "and it's incited a lot of people."
"There's people on both sides that have lashed out at our families," he explained.
"I think it's being used politically to get those votes," Jason Riley continued. "It makes me angry. I feel like, you know, they're just using my daughter’s name for that. And she was much better than that, and she should be raised up for the person that she is. She was an angel.”
NBC reported that Jason Riley revealed that he does support President Donald Trump and that his daughter’s passing has instigated necessary discussions about border security.
"Laken has been a rallying cry for secure borders and for the illegal immigration policies of this current administration, but there's many women we don't get to hear about," he said.
After Laken Riley’s death, Georgia state lawmakers passed a bill that would allow police to arrest those suspected of entering the United States illegally. And, the U.S. House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of illegal aliens who commit theft-related crimes.