President Donald Trump touted his record numbers of illegal border crossings, claiming that the US needed a “new president” rather than a “new law” to secure the country during Tuesday's joint speech to Congress, and claiming that the US needed a “new president” rather than a “new law” but Democrats refused to honor Laken Riley's grieving family.
“If you really care about protecting American children, there's no more important step than securing American borders. Over the past four years, 21 million people have been poured into the United States, many of which have been murderers, traffickers, gang members and other criminals from the streets of dangerous cities around the world,” Trump said in his first speech to Congress since taking office in January.
“Because of Joe Biden's insane and extremely dangerous, open border policy, they are now embedded strongly in our country, but we are kicking them out and kicking them out quickly,” he continued. Kristi Noem, US Border Patrol, and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He then raised Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University student who was brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal immigrants who were released to the country under the Biden administration before killing a young woman while jogging in February 2024.
Last year, a 22-year-old nursing student named Laken Riley, who is praised by everyone, went to work on the University of Georgia campus. That morning, Rayken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutal and horrifiedly murdered. Rayken was stolen from us by savage, illegal alien gang members arrested while trespassing across Biden's open southern border, and loosened into the US under the heartless policies of that failed administration… it was a failed administration. He was then arrested and released in the disaster, a sanctuary city of the Democratic Party, before ending the life of this beautiful young angel.
The president then introduced Layken's mother and sisters, Alison and Lauren Phillips. Democrats remained seated while Republicans stood up and applauded for them:
“Last year, I told Laiken's grieving parents that my daughter would not die in vain. That's why the first bill I signed into law signed, as your 47th President mandates detention of all dangerous criminal aliens that threaten public safety,” the president said. Raiken Riley Law.
“It's called the Laken Riley Act, so Allison and Lauren, America will never forget our beautiful Laken Hope Riley,” Trump added, receiving applause from Laken's family.
When Trump stated how his administration “stopped the most drastic border and immigration crackdown in American history, the crowd exploded and we quickly achieved the lowest number of illegal border crosses ever recorded.”
Democrats began booing with jealousy as Republicans greeted them.
Trump also referenced how Democrats made excuses for not securing borders during the Biden administration.
“The Democratic media and our friends were saying, 'We needed new laws, we needed laws to ensure borders,'' he said. “But we realized that all we needed was a new president.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded to the Democrats' refusal to support Laken's family at X.
