GOP Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene of Georgia confronted President Joe Biden Thursday while he was making his way across the House floor to deliver his State of the Union address.
She handed him a pin, and said to the president, “Say her name,” referring to 22-year-old Laken Riley, the Augusta University nursing student police say was killed Feb. 22 by an illegal alien.
Riley was running on the University of Georgia campus in Athens when 26-year-old Venezuelan Jose Antonio Ibarra allegedly beat her to death.
The president responded to Greene, “I know how to say the name.”
Greene posted a video of her encounter with Biden on social media platform X, writing, “Joe Biden has no excuse. I handed him a pin to remember Laken Riley. He refused to SAY HER NAME!”
Joe Biden has no excuse.
I handed him a pin to remember Laken Riley.
He refused to SAY HER NAME! pic.twitter.com/jxv8uD6uqK
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 8, 2024
The Hill reported that Ibarra entered the country illegally in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was apprehended by the Border Patrol and released into the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Biden changed several immigration policies when he came to office in January 2021, including ending the “remain in Mexico” policy, ending construction of the border wall, and re-instituting so-called catch-and-release.
The policy shift has led to a record-breaking number of illegal crossings — over 7 million — in the first three years of his presidency.
Say her name, President Biden!
Laken Riley should still be with us today. pic.twitter.com/SNiXdDSemz
— Joni Ernst (@joniernst) February 27, 2024
On Thursday, the House passed the Laken Riley Act in honor of the fallen student.
If the bill becomes law, it would require detention of any migrant who is charged with committing burglary or theft.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that Ibarra had been arrested and charged in Athens, Georgia, on a charge of shoplifting at a Wal-Mart. He later failed to appear in court.
