Laken RiIey's father hopes Georgia senators will protect citizens from 'illegal invasion'
ATLANTA - The Georgia State Senate honored the memory of murdered Augusta University student Laken Riley on Wednesday.
Georgia state senators passed a resolution honoring Laken's memory on Wednesday morning.
The resolution cited the accomplishments of the Augusta University student who was murdered on the campus of the University of Georgia last month, allegedly by a man who is in the United States illegally.
Her family stood with Senate leaders as the resolution was read. Afterward, her father, Jason Riley, told senators that he is heartbroken and part of his purpose has been taken.
"God gave me a beautiful daughter to father, protect, provide for and nurture. A man with an evil heart stole her heart. He was in the country and in this state illegally. My vision for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion," Riley said.
The Laken Riley murder, which was allegedly committed by a man who is in the country illegally, has sparked debate across Georgia and the nation about the U.S. immigration crisis.
What happened to Laken Riley?
Laken Riley was brutally murdered during her morning run on Feb. 22. Her body was found by police shortly after she was reported missing by a friend in a wooded area near Lake Herrick and UGA's intramural fields.
Jose Ibarra was arrested the next day for her murder.
Ibarra, who is originally from Venezuela, entered the country illegally in 2022 and was living in Athens. He was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another. An autopsy showed Riley died from blunt force trauma to the head.
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Ibarra is being held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail.
Bond was denied for Ibarra during his first court appearance on Feb. 24. He has since demanded a jury trial.
It remains unknown why Riley was killed.
Suspect's brothers also arrested
During the search for Riley's killer, 29-year-old Diego Ibarra and 24-year-old Argenis Ibarra were also arrested. They are also in the country illegally.
Diego Ibarra was stopped by law enforcement because he fit the description of the possible murder suspect. He was arrested after presenting a fake green card.
The circumstances surrounding Argenis Ibarra's arrest have not been revealed.
Laken Riley Act
The murder and arrests sparked the Laken Riley Act, a new immigration bill aimed at equipping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state governments with enhanced tools to combat "illegal alien" crime.
Laken Riley Act: Georgia student's murder sparks new federal bill
The bill secured a decisive victory vote of 251-170, with 37 Democrats joining Republicans. A similar bill is now being considered by the Senate.
Jason Riley's full statement
Read Jason Riley's full speech at the Georgia State Capitol below:
Good morning, senators and citizens.
I stand before you, a heartbroken man. Part of my purpose has been taken. 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.
Please recognize over a million illegal aliens are in this state and making families nervous. Please recognize Athens-Clarke is a sanctuary city. And this policy and the lack of action led to the murder of my daughter. There are a few of you in this chamber that are standing up and working on a solution to protect us. For that, my family is thankful. Laken is thankful.
Gov. Kemp, please declare an invasion to detain and deport criminal illegals so we can prevent future families from those tragedies. Hundreds of women and children each month that are being smuggled, coerced, and trafficked in our state. There are 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. She and my family mean the world to me.
I'd like to also recognize Senator Colton Moore and Michael Gargiulo who are great men fighting for freedom and security in our state. They were there for our family throughout this process. I thank them and each of you for this opportunity to hear from our family and to hear our cry for help, so we can protect others as Laken would have wanted. God be with our state and each of you. Thank you.
Riley told NBC's TODAY show in an interview on Monday that the politicization of his daughter's death has made his family a target and has made him angry.