For Republican lawmakers from Savannah to Atlanta, the killing of Laken Riley has quickly become an election-year centerpiece of what they see as the Biden administration’s failed oversight of the immigration system.
The body of Riley, who was attending Augusta University’s nursing program at the University of Georgia in Athens, was found on UGA’s campus on Thursday. A 26-year-old Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally in 2022 and was living in northeastern Georgia has been charged with her murder.
Gov. Brian Kemp, who hails from the Athens area, wrote to President Joe Biden two days after Riley’s body was discovered in a wooded area near Lake Herrick.
“Federal action to secure the border is the only way to holistically [sic] address the ongoing crisis and ensure Laken Riley’s horrible fate is not replicated across the country,” he told the president.
Added Kemp: “If you continue to refuse to exercise your authority as president, your administration must provide the information necessary for Georgia and other states to protect our citizens.”
Posting on the social media site X the same day, 1st District Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter said the “Biden border crisis” had turned “every state into a border state,” before reporting the official confirmation that Riley’s alleged killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, had entered the country illegally.
Carter attached to the posting two mug shots of Ibarra, as well as a story from Fox News about his illicit entry into the country.
In another post, Carter bluntly called out the president and his secretary of homeland security:
“Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, and this negligent & damaging White House are directly to blame for the death of Laken Riley. Enough is enough. We must secure our southern border to protect American lives. Please join me by praying for the Riley family in this difficult time.”
State lawmakers from Coastal Georgia promised an investigation into how the alleged murderer came to the state.
Speaker of the Georgia House, Jon Burns (R-Newington), said Saturday that there were “certainly questions surrounding the administration of justice at the local level,” adding: “House leadership will be pressing for answers over the coming days as to why exactly the suspect and his brother continued to roam freely in the Athens area.”
Among local politicians, perhaps the most extensive comments came Sunday from State Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah).
In a posting on Facebook that ran nearly 600 words, Petrea accused federal and local officials — as well as the Athens-Clarke County district attorney — for lax treatment of undocumented residents.
“We recognize that we cannot simply depend on a failed federal administration to protect our people,” he said. “We have state sovereignty and must do all we can to fulfill our number one priority of government…public safety.”
Petrea, who has frequently criticized local authorities in Georgia for failing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is currently sponsoring legislation that would “clarify” the state constitution’s stipulation that only U.S. citizens have a right to vote in state elections.
He is also the lead author of a bill that would require state corrections officials to compile and report data on foreign-born inmates.
Meanwhile, two Democratic state senators from Atlanta, Jason Esteves and Elena Parent, urged politicians not to politicize Riley’s death.
“Laken Riley’s family deserves space to grieve without being used for cheap political points,” Esteves said. “Those who bring up border security should take that up with [Donald] Trump, who recently whipped Republicans in DC into shelving a bipartisan border security bill.”
Riley’s funeral is scheduled for Friday, in Woodstock.
