By Priscilla Thompson, Erik Ortiz and Rebecca Byrd —
NBC
The father of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student whose murder an undocumented immigrant is accused of, remembers his daughter as a “strong person” who excelled in her studies, while repudiating the fact that her death is being politicized to “incite” to voters in the November elections.
Republican politicians have cited the case at campaign rallies, speeches and also an immigration bill named after Riley, virtually turning the murder into a political and electoral issue.
The suspect in the murder is an undocumented immigrant who entered the United States illegally two years ago.
“I wish I had been there to protect her,” the student's father said in an interview aired Monday on NBC's TODAY show.
It is the first time she has spoken publicly since the murder of her daughter.
Jason Riley, father of Laken Riley, speaks with NBC's Today Show, in an exclusive interview in March 2024. NBC News
The murder of Laken Riley has fueled the already heated debate over the Joe Biden Administration's immigration policies, and drew even more attention when the president referred to it during his State of the Union address this month.
“I would prefer it had not been politicized (…) [His death] unleashed a storm in our country,” said Jason Riley.
“And he has instigated a lot of people.”
As a result of the political polarization in the United States, he added, “there are people on both sides who have attacked our families,” referring to him and Riley's mother.
“I still have a hard time believing it”
Although he and his mother divorced when Riley was little, he and his daughter remained very close and called each other often.
Riley wanted to study nursing at Augusta University and work at a children's hospital.
The young woman, he said, had already outlined her goals for the year, which included looking for a partner, after having spent a long time “too focused on studying,” her father added.
She was so concerned about her studies, her sorority, and the church that the last time they spoke was two weeks before her death.
“It was really surreal.
"I didn't want to believe it, I still have a hard time believing it," Jason Riley said about what happened, choking back tears.
“I wake up every day thinking I want to call her, and I can’t.”
Adding to the difficulty of grieving is the national attention on his death, which only exploded after Biden's State of the Union speech.
Midway through Biden's speech, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., urged him from the stands to “say his name.”
[House approves measure to detain migrants accused of robbery after Laken Riley's murder]
Biden did, although he seemed to mispronounce it.
He described her as “an innocent young woman who was murdered by an illegal,” a term that drew criticism from immigration advocates who say it is dehumanizing language.
Biden later stated that he regretted having used that word.
“My heart goes out to you,” Biden told Riley's family during his speech.
“I have lost a child myself and I understand it.”
A case used “to get votes”
But reacting to what Biden said, Jason Riley is overwhelmed by the politicization of the circumstances surrounding his daughter's death.
“I think it is being used politically to get votes,” said Jason Riley.
"It disgusts me.
I feel like they are using my daughter's name for that purpose.
And she was much better than that, and she should be remembered for the person she was.
She was an angel.”
Laken Riley, left, with Bianca Tiller, her former roommate during her freshman year at the University of Georgia.Courtesy Bianca Tiller
Jason Riley indicated that he does support former President Donald Trump and that, although he prefers that his daughter's death “not be so politicized,” it has opened necessary debates about the best way to secure the southern border and help women, including those who They are victims of human trafficking.
“Laken has raised a cry in favor of the current Administration's border security and illegal immigration policies, but there are many women we don't hear about,” she said.
A law named after Laken Riley
On the day of Biden's State of the Union address, the bill honoring Riley's daughter, authored by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., passed the Republican-majority House of Representatives with the support of 37 Democrats.
If passed, the Laken Riley Act would force U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants who commit theft-related crimes, such as shoplifting, and allow state attorneys general to sue to prevent the Secretary of Homeland Security from taking action on immigration when there are perceived “political failures” that harm the state or its citizens.
Some Democrats have accused Republicans of using Riley's death to gain political support.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., called the House bill “pretexts and deceptions” created by Republicans, and urged that “instead of demagogueting the tragic death of this young woman, get serious.”
Trump, who met with Riley's mother, Allyson Phillips, and stepfather this month before a campaign rally in Georgia, has blamed Biden's policies for contributing to her death as record numbers of migrants cross the border. south.
Phillips has declined media requests while the police investigation continues.
In a Facebook comment posted in response to Biden's speech, she wrote that he was "pathetic" that "Biden doesn't even KNOW my daughter's name."
The accused undocumented
The suspect, a Venezuelan citizen named José Antonio Ibarra, entered the United States illegally in 2022 near El Paso, Texas, according to immigration authorities.
Last summer, the NYPD charged him with injury to a child under 17 and a driver's license violation.
He was released before immigration authorities could ask police to hold him.
Jose Ibarra, Diego's brother, is accused of killing University of Georgia student Laken Riley. Georgia Clark County Sheriff's Office.
In October, Ibarra and his brother, who was also in the country illegally, were cited for shoplifting from a Walmart in Athens, Georgia, police said.
Ibarra had not appeared in court for any arrest warrant.
He lived in an apartment in Athens, less than a mile from the University of Georgia campus.
Riley, 22, was reported missing on February 22 when, according to a friend, he went for a run at the university that morning and never returned.
She was an experienced runner, she had competed in marathons, and her father said she regularly exercised with friends.
[Chicago and now Miami: the case of the second possible member of the feared South American gang in the US]
But that day she went alone.
Her body was found in a wooded area of the campus.
Police said her body had “visible injuries” and that she had died from blunt force trauma.
Ibarra was identified as a suspect the next day after investigators said they linked him to security video, according to a federal affidavit obtained by The Associated Press.
Police have not revealed a specific motive for the attack, which they described as a “crime of opportunity.”
Ibarra remains in the Clarke County Jail charged with several charges, including intentional murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, kidnapping and concealing the death of another person.
“I was only 22 years old.”
Jason Riley said his daughter's murder shows that people who cross into the US are not being properly investigated, although he is not sure if that would have made a difference in his case.
“I understand that they want to come here for a better life,” he said of the migrants, “but when there are gang members and people who can commit violent crimes, especially against women, I think we can stop them.”
Although Trump campaign rhetoric has sought to link migrants to increased criminal activity, expert analysis and data available from police departments in major cities show that, despite several high-profile incidents, There is no evidence of a migrant-driven crime wave.
The president, Joe Biden, holds a brooch with the name of Laken Riley, after referring to the murder of the young woman. Andrew Harnik / AP
The seemingly random attack on the University of Georgia campus led to calls from the community to improve security.
The university declared that it was going to allocate more than $7 million to new initiatives in that area, including more police officers and emergency call booths.
Jason Riley noted that he has avoided news coverage of his daughter's death and the details of the case, preferring instead to remember her life.
Even though her name has come up in a political context, she added, she prefers to think about how others remembered her at her funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people.
Her mother's family is also creating a scholarship fund and foundation to raise awareness about homicides and women's safety.
“I was only 22 years old.
He had a lot of life left to give to the world,” said Jason Riley.
“If everyone could live like Laken,” he added, “the world would be a better place.”