"Father of Laken Riley speaks out on slain daughter's legacy amid contentious immigration debate"
"Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. Her death has intensified the political debate over U.S. immigration policies."
Reported by Priscilla Thompson, Erik Ortiz, and Rebecca Byrd
BUFORD, Ga. —Jason Riley, father of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was killed while jogging, remembers his daughter as a "strong person" who excelled academically.Yet, he worries that her death is being used to fuel political divisions as the November election nears.
Laken's name has become a focal point in campaign speeches and has even inspired an immigration-related bill. Reflecting on the month since her passing, which police say involved a suspect who entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, Jason Riley says he is grappling with the political turn the tragedy has taken.
“I wish I could have been there to protect her,” he shared in his first public interview on NBC’s "TODAY" show, which aired Monday.
Laken Riley’s death has reignited debate over immigration policies during the Biden administration. The issue gained further national attention when President Joe Biden referenced her in an unscripted moment during his recent State of the Union address.
“I’d rather her not be such a political — how do you say it? — it’s started a storm in our country,” Jason Riley said. “It’s incited a lot of people.”
This heightened divisiveness, he noted, has led to people “on both sides lashing out” at him and Laken’s mother.
Although he and Laken’s mother divorced when she was young, Jason and his daughter remained close, speaking often. She dreamed of graduating from Augusta University’s nursing program and working in a children’s hospital. Her goals for the year included going on a date, a small wish she hoped to fulfill after so many years of dedicated studying, he recalled with a bittersweet smile.