This week, Jason Riley, father of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley who was brutally killed, joined NBC News in a heartfelt interview claiming that his daughter was “like an angel” and “so full of life.”

When discussing his daughter’s murderer, a Venezuelan migrant who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, Riley told the interviewer that he might not have been in the U.S. “had we had secure borders,” in the first place. The grieving father went on to share that he feels like his daughter is “being used somewhat politically,” especially after Joe Biden’s State of the Union, when he erroneously referred to her as “Lincoln Riley.”

Riley’s interview came shortly after Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, wrote a Facebook post addressing the “most devastating, unimaginable loss” of her daughter. Despite her sorrow, Phillips attributed her strength to the Lord. “I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time,” she said. “I encourage everyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I give Him all the glory for getting us through this.”

In the bleak weeks following Laken’s death, lawlessness from illegal immigrants has soared in the U.S., leading almost 70% of people to believe that the open borders “may contribute to the violence crime in America.” The Rasmussen poll, interestingly, found that 64% of white people are concerned about the crime committed by illegals, while among black people, 73% are worried. “And why wouldn’t they be?” Breitbart’s John Nolte asks. “[They] disproportionately live in Democrat-run cities that posture as sanctuary cities.”

Even a majority of Democrats — 51% — think there’s a connection between our border crisis and crime (compared to 84% of Republicans. “When asked if illegal immigration makes America better or worse, only 14% said better.”

And the evidence seems to be everywhere. While Riley’s murder continues to circle the news, the leader of a human trafficking ring has also been sentenced to prison for sneaking over 1,000 migrants across the southern border and then dropping them off in Phoenix, Arizona. The consequence of Martin Garcia-Velazquez’s furtive actions is 7.5-years in prison, followed by 35 months of supervised release. The Mexican native was also mandated to pay a special assessment of $5,000 by U.S. District Judge Scott Rash.

The investigation, conducted by Homeland Security, found that Garcia-Velazquez had three co-conspirators, all prosecuted in October. In a statement issued by the Department of Justice, it notes that the prosecution was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which “identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.”

Another tragedy making headlines involves a 26-year-old Haitian native, Cory Alvarez, who reportedly raped a disabled 15-year-old girl last week at a hotel housing migrants. Amidst the current chaos in Haiti, Alvarez was flown into New York City last summer by President Biden’s CHNV parole program. The program, established in October of 2022, authorizes 30,000 people each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, “to fly into the U.S. and be granted two years of humanitarian parole, which allows them to apply to work in the U.S.”

While Alvarez might have entered the U.S. lawfully, conservative leaders have criticized the current administration for their loose hold on immigration. “Biden flew this illegal dirtbag into our Country. No border, no budget. Shut it down,” tweeted Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett.

As millions of illegal immigrants flood the U.S. southern border and thousands fly over it, reports suggest that the Biden administration has financed the whole operation.

“According to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) findings by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) put hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants on planes and flew them into 43 different U.S. airports last year alone,” wrote The Washington Stand’s S.A McCarthy.

This administration’s choices regarding the border, economy, and foreign affairs are unfavorable, as only 39.8% of Americans approve of Biden’s job as president. The president’s low rating for his third year in office claimed the title of second worst. “Among prior presidents in the Gallup polling era who were elected to their first term, only Jimmy Carter fared worse in his third year.” Carter’s 37.4% rating was primarily attributed to high gas prices, rising inflation, and because U.S. citizens were taken hostage by Iran. Experts argue that President Biden’s low rating can be attributed to the flood of illegal aliens allowed into the U.S. under the current administration.

AUTHOR

Abigail Olsson

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

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