The parents of slain 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley declined an invitation from U.S. Rep. Mike Collins to attend the State of the Union address Thursday, the congressman said.
Collins (R-Ga.), the congresswoman from Athens, Ga.’s 10th Congressional District, who was allegedly killed by an immigrant, will have the vacant seat honored in her presidential address.
“I invited Laken Riley’s parents to the State of the Union, but understandably they chose to stay home out of grief over the loss of their daughter,” Collins wrote on X.
“Therefore, the seat reserved for my guest will remain vacant in memory of Laken and all American victims of illegal alien crimes.”
Police said Riley, a student at the University of Georgia in Athens, was brutally killed last month while going for a morning run.
The suspect in her murder is Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, an illegal Venezuelan immigrant who lived about a mile away from where her body was found.
It was later revealed that Ybarra was arrested by the US Border Patrol and released on parole on September 8, 2022.
It was later revealed that Ibara had At least two run-ins In August, he was reported to law enforcement for charges including illegally driving a scooter without a license in New York state and charges related to a shoplifting incident in Georgia.
Ybarra has since been charged with felony murder, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Lawmakers use the State of the Union address to invite guests who aim to make their voices heard or help advance their political causes.
In this case, Riley’s death has become a rallying cry among conservatives on the issue of border security.
“As Joe Biden tries to paint a rosy picture of the crime-ridden country he created, he will look up at the empty seats commemorating those we have lost to open borders.” Collins added.
President Biden is widely expected to use his bullish pulpit on Thursday to address issues such as immigration.
According to several polls, that’s the top issue for voters heading into the Nov. 5 presidential election, and it’s also a responsibility for him.
Biden and his party are using the Republican decision last month to block a bipartisan Senate border reform bill, viewing it as a cudgel to fend off Republican attacks on the border crisis.
They accuse Republicans of blocking measures to help former President Donald Trump in his bid to overthrow him.
Several invitees to Biden’s third State of the Union address declined the invitation, including Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska and Yulia Navalny, widow of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. This includes Mr.
Biden’s speech to a joint session of the House and Senate is likely to be one of his biggest platforms to the nation ahead of his rematch with Trump on November 5th.
