Human Events Daily host Jack Posobiec shared his thoughts on the ceremony and speech given by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, during which he signed the Laken Riley Act into law.
“Incredible ceremony, very tearful response, of course, from Laken Riley’s family,” Posobiec said. “Her mother gave remarks not only on her daughter’s passing but also on the hope that this tragic loss could help save the lives of future young girls so that other families don’t have to go through what hers has endured."
On Wednesday, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the Department of Homeland Security to detain non-citizens who have been charged with or convicted of theft-related crimes, assaulting a police officer, or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury, such as drunk driving. This marks the first bill Trump has signed into law since assuming office as the 47th president of the United States.
The legislation is named after Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra. In November, Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of the crime. However, he has since requested a new trial, with his attorneys alleging that "errors of law" necessitate a retrial. According to the Associated Press, Ibarra's legal team argued that the verdict delivered by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard—who presided over a bench trial after Ibarra waived his right to a jury—was "contrary to law" and "contrary to the evidence."
During his remarks at the signing ceremony, Trump honored Riley's life and legacy.
“Laken was a brilliant and beautiful 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, the best in her class,” Trump said. “She was respected by everyone. From the time she was in first grade, Laken knew she wanted to spend her time caring for others. That’s what she did. To her friends and classmates, she was a light of warmth and kindness in every single room. To her parents and family, she was everything in the world. They’ve had a miserable period of time. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley,” he said. “The vicious criminal who murdered precious Laken was an illegal alien member of the barbaric Venezuelan prison gang known as Tren de Aragua. He trespassed across our southern border in 2022 and was apprehended by Border Patrol, but under the cruel policies of the last administration, instead of being deported as he should have been, he was released into the United States along with millions of other people, many of them very dangerous.”
“How can they allow criminals to pour into our country and try to defend it?” he said. “And they still try to defend it, but they can’t. That’s why I’m here instead of somebody else, actually. I believe that’s the single biggest reason. Inflation was horrible, many things were horrible during that administration.”
Hopefully, no family will ever have to [go through this] again. We know this is the real world, and that’s not how it works," Posobiec commented.
