Republicans spotlighting slain college student amid criticism of Biden's border policies
Republicans plan to keep an empty seat in memoriam of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed on the University of Georgia's Athens campus last month.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., said he invited Riley's parents to be guests at the State of the Union though "they have chosen to stay home as they grieve the loss of their daughter."
Biden's address comes hours after the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require detention of any unauthorized migrant who commits burglary or theft.
The suspect charged in Riley's killing, Jose Antonio Ibarra, unlawfully entered the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was paroled and released for further processing, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said following his arrest in Georgia.
ICE said that Ibarra was subsequently arrested by New York City police in 2023 and released before federal officials could ask for his detention. The NYPD has said there is no arrest on file.
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The Laken Riley Act passed the House 251-170, with 37 Democrats voting for it. Some opposing it believe Republicans are using Riley's death for their own political gain to place blame on the Biden administration's border policies as polling shows immigration is a top issue for some voters.