Athens, Georgia – Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was out on her usual morning run at the University of Georgia when she was tragically attacked and killed by a stranger. The news of her death sent shockwaves through the campus and the entire community, as authorities searched for the suspect responsible for this heinous crime.
The suspect, a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally, was allowed to stay and pursue his immigration case, which has now become a central issue in the 2024 presidential campaign. Former President Donald Trump wasted no time in blaming President Joe Biden and his border policies for Riley’s death. He and other conservative voices have used this tragedy to push their anti-immigrant agenda, with some even going as far as calling it “collateral damage.”
This is not new territory for Trump, who launched his 2016 White House bid by making derogatory remarks about Mexicans. As president, he even created an office for families of victims of violent crimes committed by immigrants, which was quickly dismantled under the Biden administration. The debate over the nation’s broken immigration system has now become a major campaign issue, as the country continues to grapple with an unprecedented surge in migration.
Trump has once again dialed up his anti-immigrant rhetoric, claiming that migrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country. He and other Republicans have also falsely suggested that immigrants are committing crimes at a higher rate than U.S. citizens. However, numerous studies have shown that immigrants are actually less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born citizens.
Biden, on the other hand, has criticized Republicans for turning against a bipartisan border security deal after Trump’s disapproval. He will be visiting the Texas border city of Brownsville on Thursday, while Trump will be in another Texas border city, Eagle Pass. The former president has taken to social media to exploit this tragedy, posting on his platform, “Crooked Joe Biden’s Border INVASION is destroying our country and killing our citizens! The horrible murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia should have NEVER happened!”
Trump also referred to the suspect as an “animal” during a radio interview, further fueling the anti-immigrant sentiment among his supporters. Meanwhile, Democrats have been more restrained in their response, with many expressing their condolences to Riley’s family and accusing Trump of using this tragedy for political gain.
The White House has extended their “deepest condolences” to Riley’s family, with spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández stating that those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Even Trump’s ally, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, has acknowledged that Riley’s death will have a significant impact on the upcoming election, calling it “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
Despite the evidence showing that immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes, Republicans continue to use this tragedy to push their anti-immigrant agenda. Ran Abramitzky, a Stanford University economics professor who has studied the links between immigration and crime, has noted that while Democrats have become more positive in their discussions about immigrants and their contributions to the country, Republicans remain negative and focus on crime and legality issues.
Jon Feere, a former U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official in the Trump administration, has dismissed the research that shows immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. He argues that simply being in the country without legal permission is a crime in itself. However, this type of rhetoric only serves to further divide the country and ignore the contributions of immigrants.
Families of victims of crimes committed by immigrants have heartbreaking stories to tell. Don Rosenberg, a retired entertainment and publishing executive, lost his 25-year-old son, Drew, in 2010 when he was struck and killed by a Honduran man who was in the country illegally. As he spoke with other families who had lost loved ones to similar tragedies, Rosenberg realized that authorities were often ignoring these cases and even protecting the perpetrators.
He stated, “I thought my case was an anomaly. No, my case was the rule.” Rosenberg is now the president of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime and believes that these high-profile cases will only resonate with voters if they receive more exposure in the media. He also believes that Trump’s rhetoric only appeals to those who already support him.
The suspect in Riley’s death, Jose Ibarra, was arrested for illegal entry in September 2022 near El Paso,
