ATHENS, Ga. — Laken Riley's name made statewide -- and eventually national -- news after she was murdered on the University of Georgia's campus. Tuesday night, her name came up again at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The Texas U.S. senator, Ted Cruz, talked about the college student as he criticized immigration tactics and policies.
"Think of Laken Riley," he said. "Just 22 years old, a nursing student, with dreams of healing others. She went for a jog and never came home. Her life taken by someone who should have never been here."
On Feb. 22, Riley was killed while on a run on a popular, well-traveled trail near Lake Herrick and the campus intramural fields. It was the first murder on UGA's campus in 30 years.
The next day, police arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally. In May, Ibarra was indicted on 10 charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping and interfering with a 911 call. Ibarra pleaded not guilty.
In the weeks and months following Riley's death, the case has become a flashpoint for the debate around immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ibarra was previously arrested and released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2022, before being sent to New York. He was arrested again in New York in 2023 for child endangerment, when he allegedly had a child on his moped without a helmet.
Riley was a nursing student in the Augusta University College of Nursing program at Athens, and a former UGA student who was still involved with the campus. She was a member of UGA's Alpha Chi Omega sorority chapter.
She was a Woodstock native and graduated from River Ride High School, where she ran cross-country.
Both former President Trump and President Biden have spoken on the case since February.
During the State of the Union address on March 7, just two weeks after Riley's death and Ibarra's arrest, Riley's name was brought into the national spotlight. Marjorie Taylor Greene, congresswoman of Georgia's 14th district, wore a shirt reading "Say Her Name Laken Riley" and a button with Riley's face. During Biden's speech, she interrupted, yelling "What about Laken Riley?" and "Say her name!" Biden did respond, holding up a button and incorrectly pronouncing Riley's name and saying his heart went out to Riley's parents, who were in attendance as Greene's guests. Biden also later apologized for referring to Ibarra as "an illegal" during his remarks.
Trump has also spoken out, blaming Biden and his border and immigration policies for Riley's death. Two days after the State of the Union, Trump held a rally in Rome, where he met with Riley's family and many attendees held signs with Riley's picture reading "Say her name." During a speech, Trump claimed that Ibarra would never have been in the country under Trump-era policies.
Cruz said Tuesday night while talking about immigration at the RNC, "Let us secure our borders, enforce our laws, protect our children and restore the future."
Listen to his remarks below.
Legal responses
Since Riley's death, multiple bills have been proposed and signed regarding immigration, sanctuary policies and border reform. The Laken Riley Act, which proposes to detain any migrants who have been charged with burglary or theft, passed in the U.S. House in March but was blocked in the Senate. The bill was proposed by Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia's 10th District, which includes Athens.
Specifically in Georgia, multiple bills were proposed and passed by state legislature. One of which, Senate Bill 63, was signed into law and goes into effect on July 1. It is meant to limit unsecured judicial releases without meeting bonds, limit charitably collected bail funds and narrow the list of offenses for release without bail as an option. The limits on charitable bond are being challenged by the ACLU.
Kemp also signed HB 1105, The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act, into law. The act deals with the reporting of immigration status of individuals "under the authority" of the Department of Corrections and booking and intake of "aliens and foreign nationals."