The story behind pins Republican members of Congress are wearing at the State of the Union
Several Republicans are wearing pins that say, "Say her name: Laken Riley" in honor of the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed while she was out for a run on the University of Georgia's campus last month.
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Officials have said the suspect charged in her death is a Venezuelan migrant who is illegally in the U.S.
Hours before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, with all GOP members in attendance plus 37 Democrats supporting the bill.
The legislation, introduced by freshman conservative Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, requires the detention of any migrant who committed burglary or theft.
One-hundred seventy Democrats voted against the bill. The ranking Democratic member on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, criticized the legislation on the floor, accusing Republicans of “exploiting her death for a partisan stunt” and “throwing together legislation to target immigrants in an election year.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has repeatedly called on the Biden administration to take more executive actions on border issues, said in a statement, “Laken Riley would still be alive if the Biden Administration had done its job.”
“House Republicans are not going to stand by quietly while the President and his administration release dangerous criminals into our communities,” Johnson said. “The Laken Riley Act would help prevent future tragedies. If Senator Schumer and President Biden care to protect Americans and are serious about securing the border, they will bring this legislation up for a vote and sign it into law immediately.”
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia passed out the pins bearing Riley’s name to fellow GOP lawmakers on the House floor during the vote on the bill and was seen pinning one on the lapel of GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.
CNN contributed to this report.