During a joint congressional address on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump discussed 22-year-old Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University who was killed while jogging in February 2024 at the University of Georgia by a Venezuelan immigrant who was not documented.
The newly sworn-in president described the late Riley as a “beautiful young angel” and said she was “stolen from us.”
Riley’s sister and mother were among those who attended the speech as guests of Melania Trump, the American First Lady, with the deceased mother, Allyson, saying thank you to the President as the speech proceeded.
The Laken Riley Act is the first bill to be passed by the 118th Congress after Donald Trump’s election and the first law to be signed by him during his second term as president.
The law made it compulsory for the detention of undocumented immigrants that commit some level of crimes that relate to theft until they are deported.
The legislation also grants the opportunity to states across the country to take legal action against general authorities who fail to ensure the enforcement of the law.
The undocumented immigrant fingered in the death of Riley, Jose Ibarra, was revealed to have entered the United States illegally by federal officials.
