Laken Riley's father calls on Georgia Gov Brian Kemp to 'declare an invasion' and 'deport' illegal immigrants who commit crimes

The father of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was murdered last month with an illegal immigrant as the main suspect, spoke out in the Georgia State Senate on Wednesday and pleaded with Governor Brian Kemp to “declare an invasion" and to "detain and deport criminal illegal" immigrants to save future families from tragedy.  

Jose Ibarra, 26, who is reportedly an "active member" of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, has been charged with the murder of Laken Riley. Riley's father, Jason, pleaded with lawmakers to make changes so that more Americans would not get hurt.  

“I stand before you, a heartbroken man,” Jason Riley told the politicians. “Part of my purpose has been taken. God gave me a beautiful daughter to father, protect, provide for and nurture. A man with an evil heart stole her life. He was in this country and in this state illegally.” 

“My vision for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion,” he told the chamber.  “Please recognize over a million illegal aliens are in this state and making families nervous.” 

He called on lawmakers to realize that the sanctuary city policies of Athen-Clarke, Georgia "led to the murder of [his] daughter" and that changes needed to be made.  

"Hundreds of women and children each month… are being smuggled, coerced, and trafficked in our state. They are victims, just like Laken," Jason Riley added.  

According Customs and Border Protection, encounters at the border in fiscal year 2023 reached a new record of 2.4 million, breaking the previous record of 2.3 million the year before.  

December 2023 broke the record for 300,000 border encounters in a month and the immigration court has a backlog of over 3 million, according to Fox News.