Laken Riley Act sponsor criticizes Bill Clinton's claim about Georgia student's death

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who along with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., led the Senate's introduction of the Laken Riley Act, criticized former President Bill Clinton for failing to acknowledge in his remarks on the border crisis “That this…” is a conscious decision made by the Biden-Harris administration.”

During a campaign visit to Georgia on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Clinton cited the February death of Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus .

The suspect charged in Riley's alleged murder, Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, has pleaded not guilty.

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Sen. Katie Britt (right) criticized former President Bill Clinton for mentioning the border's failure to screen illegal immigrants without mentioning the Biden-Harris administration's actions. Laken Riley is pictured in the middle. (Reuters/Laken Riley Facebook)

“[Harris is] The only candidate who actually supported a bill that would limit immigration to a certain level each year and then make sure we give people a decent place to live didn't separate people from their children. And we did a comprehensive vetting before people came in. Now Trump has killed the bill,” Clinton said during the campaign stop.

“You had a case in Georgia not long ago, right? They made an ad about it. A young woman who had been killed by an immigrant. Yes, well, if they had all been properly vetted, this probably wouldn't have happened.

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Laken Riley Act sponsor criticizes Bill Clinton's claim about Georgia student's death

Former President Bill Clinton's speech on Monday in Columbus, Georgia, focused heavily on the border issue. (Getty Images)

In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Britt said: “Laken Riley would still be alive today if the Biden-Harris Administration had implemented stronger policies on border security and domestic immigration enforcement. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have willfully, recklessly and unlawfully allowed poorly vetted individuals, including Laken Riley's accused murderer, to wreak havoc on American families nationwide.

“What President Clinton refused to admit is that this is a conscious decision by the Biden-Harris administration,” she continued. “No one is forcing them to parole hundreds of thousands of poorly vetted individuals in communities across our country, and they could end their dangerous, unprecedented abuse of immigration parole today if they wanted to.”

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Katie Britt, Ted Budd, Laken Riley Act

The bill, introduced by Sens. Katie Britt and Ted Budd, serves as a Senate companion to H.R. 7511, which was introduced in the House by Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia. (Getty Images, Laken Riley/Facebook)

Britt also criticized the administration's extensive actions, which she said have “weakened border security and immigration enforcement.”

“They suspended deportations, halted construction of the border wall and announced a plan to grant amnesty to millions. That made it clear from the start of her term that her goal was mass migration – not the safety of the American people.”

The Alabama senator criticized her Democratic colleagues in the Senate for blocking “the common sense, bipartisan Laken Riley Act” and instead defending it[ing] the Biden-Harris mass migration agenda – the very agenda that senselessly enabled the murders of Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin and countless others.”

“I will continue to fight to pass this important legislation and return President Trump to the White House so he can restore the tough border policies that worked under his administration.”

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Trump at Georgia-Alabama

Former President Trump waves to the crowd as he speaks with Senator Katie Britt at Bryant-Denny Stadium during a football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on September 28, 2024. (Gary Cosby Jr/Imagn Images)

Britt and Budd's measure would require illegal immigrants who commit crimes such as larceny, burglary, larceny or shoplifting to be arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition, these illegal immigrants would be ordered to be detained until deportation from the country can be coordinated.

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The bill would also give states the ability to bring civil lawsuits against federal officials who fail to enforce immigration law or violate the law.

The measure is co-sponsored by nearly every member of the Senate Republican conference and one Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who joined in the summer after initially opposing including a modified version of the bill in several appropriations Package at the beginning of the year.

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Julia Johnson is a political reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a political reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia's coverage of X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.