The mother of murdered nursing student Laken Riley, whose killing was pinned on an illegal immigrant, blasted President Biden for mispronouncing her daughter’s name during his State of the Union address Thursday, labeling him “pathetic” for the blunder.
Allyson Phillips, Ms. Riley’s mother, went after the president in a Facebook comment thread Friday.
“Biden does not even KNOW my child’s name — it’s pathetic!,” Ms. Phillips said. “If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name!”
Mr. Biden was coaxed into saying Ms. Riley’s name by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, as she interrupted the president’s speech by shouting, “Say her name.”
“Lincoln — Lincoln Riley,” Mr. Biden said, holding up a button with her name on it that Republicans were passing out that night.
“An innocent young woman who was killed,” he said.
“By an illegal,” Ms. Greene shot back.
“By an illegal,” Mr Biden said. “That’s right, but how many of thousands of people are being killed by legals?”
The White House’s official transcript of the speech showed Mr. Biden mispronounced her name “Lanken” in his back-and-forth with Ms. Greene.
Police charged 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan, with murder and assault following the Feb. 22 discovery of Ms. Riley’s body on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens.
Immigration authorities say Mr. Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained him but let him go. He then was arrested in New York and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child but was again released before ICE could ask local law enforcement to take him into custody.
Republicans have since latched onto her death to skewer Mr. Biden for his immigration policies, and her slaying has become the catalyst for state and federal policy changes.
The Georgia Legislature passed a bill last week that lets police arrest anyone suspected of entering the country illegally and would require law enforcement to report to federal authorities when someone in custody is undocumented. Not adhering to that portion of the bill could cause local governments to lose state or federal funding.
Meanwhile, the House on Thursday passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require ICE to detain illegal immigrants who have been charged with theft or burglary.
It would also allow states to sue the federal government “if an immigration-related action harms the state or its citizens.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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