While campaigning for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Georgia on Sunday, former President Bill Clinton spoke about Laken Riley, a young Augusta University nursing student murdered by an illegal immigrant in February.
The suspected killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, is from Venezuela. He has a previous arrest record in New York and currently faces extensive charges in Georgia. During his comments, Clinton told the crowd that, had there been necessary screening at the southern border, Riley’s killing might never have happened.
“You had a case in Georgia not very long ago, didn’t you? They made an ad about it,” said Clinton. “A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant. Yeah, well, if they’d all been properly vetted that probably wouldn’t have happened.”
However, he did not speak about the role that the Biden-Harris Administration played in the tragedy. Instead, Clinton touted the Democratic nominee for president as the only candidate in the race who has “actually endorsed a bill that would hold down immigration any given year to a certain point.”
RELATED: Democrats continue blocking Laken Riley Act – Britt intends to ‘avoid future tragedies’
Following the former president’s misleading remarks, U.S. Senator Katie Britt, who sponsored the Laken Riley Act, posted about her disappointment in Clinton’s overt deception.
Laken Riley would be alive today if the Biden-Harris Admin had stronger border security and interior immigration enforcement policies in place. What President Clinton refused to admit is this is a conscious choice Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made.https://t.co/Z3k0Ff5t1H
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) October 16, 2024
Britt (R-Montgomery) also issued a statement to FOX News. “The Biden-Harris Administration suspended deportations, halted construction of the border wall, and announced a plan to give amnesty to millions,” she said. “That made it crystal clear from the start of their tenure that their goal was mass migration – not the safety and security of the American people.”
The Laken Riley Act would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses and mandate that those who commit such crimes are detained until they are removed from the United States. So far, Senate Democrats have continued to vote it down.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
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