Laken Riley murder to take center stage at RNC Tuesday night

ATLANTA — The killing of an Athens college student by a man in the country illegally will be among the cases taking center stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night.

Jose Ibarra, 26, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in connection with Augusta University College of Nursing student Laken Riley’s death.

Riley was found dead in February along a running trail on the University of Georgia’s campus.

One of her friends told police that she went for a run and never came home. Investigators believe her murder was random.

The day after her attack, Ibarra was arrested. Investigators said he was in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.

Tuesday night’s theme at the RNC is “Make America safe once again.”

Former President Donald Trump and Republicans believe the border debate is among their strongest issues.

Republicans have railed against President Joe Biden about his border policies, saying it has flooded “our communities with untraceable, potentially dangerous criminals.”

Riley’s case is one of several expected to be highlighted Tuesday night, according to a news release from Super PAC MAGA Inc.

“Thanks to Joe Biden’s open border, Americans are facing a new, and tragically avoidable, type of crime,” the release said.

“Their policies are a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values, and our people,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.

Pennsylvania delegate John Fredericks had a simple recommendation for Tuesday’s immigration speakers, “Close the border. If you’re here illegally, get them out – now. That’s all I’m interested in. Get them out.”

Arrests at the border have fallen by more than half from a record high of 250,000 in December, largely a result of increased enforcement by Mexican authorities, according to U.S. officials.

Immigration officials said that drop is also because of asylum measures put in place by the Biden administration.

Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plunged 29% in June, the lowest month of Biden’s presidency, according to figures released Monday.

“Recent border security measures have made a meaningful impact on our ability to impose consequences for those crossing unlawfully,” said Troy Miller, acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

Arrests totaled 83,536 in June, down from 117,901 in May to mark the lowest tally since January 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

As the RNC continues Tuesday, Biden is heading back on the campaign trail with events across Nevada as he continues to try to reassure members of his party about his candidacy after his disastrous debate last month.

He had canceled a planned Monday trip to Texas and his reelection campaign temporarily suspended its television ads after Saturday’s attempted assassination of Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.