(RightWing.org) – Even if President Biden couldn’t get murder victim Laken Riley’s name right in his State of the Union address, he did manage to say that her killer was an illegal immigrant. However, he quickly backtracked on this, calling the suspect “undocumented” in an interview and saying he regretted his earlier words. Now House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is slamming him for his cowardice.
On March 7, Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address, and in response to prompting from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) he condemned the murder of Georgia student Laken Riley by “an illegal” from Venezuela.
Riley’s alleged killer, Jose Ibarra, entered the US illegally in 2022 and was set free under the Biden administration’s much-criticized “catch and release” program. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says he was arrested in New York last year after injuring a child — but released by state officials before ICE could file a detainer on him under the state’s “sanctuary” policy.
On March 10, Biden gave an interview to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart, where he was questioned about calling Ibarra “illegal.” Biden immediately walked back his statement, correcting it to “undocumented person,” and added, “I shouldn’t have used illegal, it’s undocumented.” He went on to claim that illegal immigrants “built our country… they’re the reason our economy’s growing.” When asked if he regretted using the word he confirmed “Yes.”
In response to Biden’s U-turn, Speaker Johnson took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the president for “cowering to his base” and showing Ibarra respect he doesn’t deserve. Johnson clarified that Ibarra is an illegal immigrant, and said the president should apologize to Riley’s family.
Former president Donald Trump has met Riley’s family to console them for their loss. He also condemned Biden for apologizing about calling Ibarra illegal. Meanwhile, Senator Dick Durban (D-IL) recently blocked a bill that would have ensured illegals who kill or injure anyone in the US are automatically transferred to ICE custody, claiming it would violate their rights.
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