OAN Staff Abril Elfi
8:34 AM – Tuesday, August 19, 2025
The family of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, has endorsed Representative Mike Collins in the Georgia Senate race.
The family released a statement endorsing Collins (R-Ga.) after he introduced the Laken Riley Act to crack down on criminal illegal aliens.
“A lot of people go to Washington and it changes them. However, in the short time that we have known him, Mike Collins went to Washington and changed it,” said Allyson and John Phillips, the mother and stepfather of Riley.
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“There is simply no one else in this race who deserves to be in the US Senate more than Mike Collins. He is someone who says what he means, means what he says, and actually delivers results that matter,” Riley and Phillips added.
“What Mike did for our family wasn’t about politics and it wasn’t about attention or the spotlight. He stood up to do what was right and help bring justice for our sweet Laken. For that, our family will be forever grateful to Mike Collins, Senator Katie Britt, and President Trump,” they added.
The bill, which was the first bill signed by Trump after taking office, mandates that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must detain all illegal immigrants who are arrested for non-violent crimes, such as theft, or violent crimes, such as murder, rape, or assault. The bill includes those who are seeking asylum in the United States.
The bill also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government — should they believe that their states have been negatively affected by the country’s failure to enforce immigration laws.
Riley was murdered in February 2024 by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who was in the U.S. illegally, while she was out for a run.
Prior to murdering Laken, Ibarra was previously arrested for illegally entering the U.S. in September 2022.
According to federal officials, he was also arrested for a second time in 2023 for child endangerment. However, he was released due to former President Joe Biden’s loose “catch and release” border policies. The last time he was arrested was back in 2023 — for shoplifting.
“The Biden Administration and our current senators voted for open borders that allowed Laken’s killer to come to the United States,” Riley’s family said in their statement.
“They were looking out for illegal immigrants instead of looking out for their own constituents. Next November, please join us in supporting our friend Mike Collins and give him the ability to create policies that will ensure the safety and protection of all Georgia’s sons and daughters.”
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