Updated Mar 8, 2024, 02:54am EST
President Joe Biden’s response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., demanding he mention murdered Georgia college student Laken Riley during Thursday’s State of the Union address was an unscripted moment that underscored the immigration debate as a key issue in the 2024 presidential election.
KEY FACTS
In response to Greene’s heckling, Biden retrieved a pin commemorating Riley from under the dais. Greene had yelled, “say her name” and “what about Laken Riley?” as Biden criticized Republicans for obstructing bipartisan border security legislation. Biden acknowledged Riley’s tragic death, referring to her as “an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.” He expressed heartfelt condolences to her parents amid the interruption. Jose Ibarra, an undocumented migrant from Venezuela, has been charged with murdering Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, while she was jogging at the nearby University of Georgia campus last month. Republicans have seized upon Riley’s killing as evidence of Biden’s purported failure to secure the southern border.
CONTRA
Following the exchange, “Lincoln Riley” trended on social media after right-wing accounts suggested Biden had mispronounced Laken Riley’s name. Lincoln Riley is the head football coach at the University of Southern California.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) commented on Biden’s use of the term “illegal,” noting that while the term is typically avoided in favor of “undocumented,” the focus should be on the sympathy for the family amidst the tragedy.
KEY BACKGROUND
During his address, Biden criticized former President Donald Trump for urging Republicans to block bipartisan legislation aimed at implementing new asylum limitations based on border crossings. The immigration debate has taken center stage in the 2024 presidential campaign, with border crossings hitting record levels under Biden’s administration. Biden has intensified his stance on illegal immigration, hinting at border closures and considering executive actions to strengthen enforcement measures. The House passed the Laken Riley Act, sponsored by Republicans, earlier on Thursday. The bill requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants charged with “local theft or burglary” after Ibarra, charged with shoplifting, was later accused of Riley’s murder.