The mother of Laken Riley, a nursing student tragically murdered, expressed her dismay towards President Biden for mispronouncing her daughter’s name during his recent State of the Union address. She condemned the president’s blunder as “pathetic.”
Allyson Phillips, Laken’s mother, took to Facebook to criticize the president’s mishap. “Biden doesn’t even KNOW my child’s name — it’s pathetic!,” she wrote. “If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name!”
During his address, President Biden was prompted by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, to acknowledge Laken Riley’s name. As Ms. Greene interrupted the speech, shouting, “Say her name,” Biden responded, “Lincoln — Lincoln Riley,” mistakenly. He held up a button with her correct name on it that Republicans were distributing that night. “An innocent young woman who was killed,” he acknowledged.
Ms. Greene interjected, emphasizing that Laken Riley was killed by an illegal immigrant. President Biden acknowledged this, adding, “That’s right, but how many of thousands of people are being killed by legals?” However, the official transcript from the White House revealed that Biden mispronounced Laken’s name as “Lanken” during the exchange with Ms. Greene.
The suspect in Laken Riley’s murder, 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, was charged with murder and assault after Laken’s body was discovered on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens on February 22.
Immigration authorities reported that Mr. Ibarra had entered the country illegally in 2022. Despite being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he was released. He was later arrested in New York on charges of harming a child but was once again released before ICE could request his custody from local law enforcement.
Laken Riley’s tragic death has been seized upon by Republicans to criticize President Biden’s immigration policies. It has sparked changes in both state and federal legislation.
The Georgia Legislature passed a bill enabling the arrest of individuals suspected of illegal entry into the country, requiring law enforcement to report undocumented individuals in custody to federal authorities, with the risk of losing state or federal funding for non-compliance.
Meanwhile, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, mandating ICE to detain illegal immigrants charged with theft or burglary and granting states the right to sue the federal government for any immigration-related actions that harm the state or its citizens.
