MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump referenced slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while discussing illegal immigration Thursday during his nomination speech.
Addressing more than 2,000 GOP delegates on the last night of the Republican National Convention, Trump called the Augusta University student “brilliant” and said he had met with the 22-year-old’s “wonderful family.”
“She was so proud of being first in her class,” the former president said. “(She) was out for a jog on the campus of the University of Georgia when she was assaulted, beaten and horrifically killed.”
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
Riley’s body was discovered Feb. 22 in a wooded area near UGA’s intramural fields. The man charged in her killing, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, is a Venezuela national who was arrested in 2022 after unlawfully entering the United States, federal immigration officials said previously.
“Yet another American life was stolen by a criminal alien set free by this administration,” Trump said after referencing several other high-profile homicides in which the victims were allegedly killed by people in the country illegally.
Thursday wasn’t the first time Riley’s name was mentioned during the four-day convention. U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also referenced Riley during his speech on immigration Tuesday night.
UGA officials this week said they had committed more than $7 million for safety enhancements following Riley’s killing, which stunned the campus community.
The initiatives include a 20% increase to the UGA Police Department’s budget and a new unit of Campus Safety Ambassadors who will assist police by providing student escorts and monitoring the campus during evening hours. The university began installing emergency call stations, automatic license plate readers, additional lighting and fencing this summer.
“There is no higher priority at the University of Georgia than safety and security of our campus community,” UGA President Jere Morehead said in a statement. “We continually evaluate our safety programs in close collaboration with our partners. Our ongoing investments are strengthening virtually all aspects of campus security.”
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