State of the Union Ads to Blame Biden for Murder of Laken Riley, Call Out Dangers of Health Care for Illegal Immigrants

A conservative group will air two ads on Thursday evening during President Biden’s State of the Union address that criticize his handling of the country’s immigration crisis. The $700,000 ad buy from Building America’s Future will air nationally. 

One of the ads blames Biden for the recent slaying of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant, while the second highlights the dangers of a $340 billion program to provide health care for illegal immigrants.

In the first ad, “Run,” a narrator tells viewers Riley “should have been able to go on a run in broad daylight without being murdered by an illegal immigrant.”

“But Joe Biden promised not to deport illegal immigrants,” the voiceover adds before the spot cuts to a clip of Biden saying, “No one would be put in jail while waiting for their hearing.”

“So when Jose Ibarra crossed into America illegally, he was not deported, he was not put in jail,” the narrator adds. “Biden also supported sanctuary cities.” 

The ad then shows Biden saying undocumented immigrants arrested by local police should not be turned over to immigration officials.

“So when Jose Ibarra was arrested in New York City for endangering a child, he was freed a second time. Ibarra went to Georgia, where he beat Laken Riley to death. How many more killers has Biden set free?” the ad asks.

Earlier on Thursday, the House of Representatives voted 251–170 to pass a bill in Riley’s honor that would require federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants charged with local theft or burglary and would also allow states to sue the federal government “if an immigration-related action harms the state or its citizens.”

Ibarra, who has been charged with the murder, illegally entered the country in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, was arrested in New York City in September 2023 for acting in a manner to injure a child under 17, but he was released by local police before a detainer could be issued. One month later, he was cited in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting alongside his brother, Diego Ibarra, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Republicans have decried the immigration policies that allowed Ibarra to be on the school’s campus that morning to carry out what police called a crime of opportunity as the pair did not appear to know each other.

Representative Mike Collins (R., Ga.) invited Riley’s parents to be his guests at the State of the Union speech on Thursday, though he said the family declined as they are grieving the loss of their daughter. “Therefore, the seat reserved for my guest will remain vacant to honor Laken and all American victims of illegal alien crime,” he said.

In the second ad, “Health Care for Illegal Immigrants,” the group criticizes the misuse of the 340B program, which allows hospitals to receive discounted rates for prescription drugs while the federal government then reimburses the hospitals for the cost of the drugs at a non-discounted rate.

The program is intended to help facilities that regularly treat low-income patients. However, some healthcare providers have begun using the savings to offer care to illegal immigrants.

“The border is broken,” the 30-second ad begins. “Millions illegally pouring into our country. But it’s not just the border. Your tax dollars are at work for illegal immigrants.”

“Free credit cards for illegals and free health care? They’re using a program currently under investigation called 340B to launder your money and provide free healthcare for illegal immigrants,” the narrator says.

The spot ends by saying Republicans must “stand up for us.”

The ad comes after the Virginia state legislature recently passed a bill to strengthen the program in the state, though Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office said Monday he may veto the bill because “he is deeply concerned about the federal 340B program and how it could be exploited to provide taxpayer-subsidized healthcare to illegal immigrants.”

Sixty-two percent of Virginia GOP primary voters said they would be “less likely” to ever support the term-limited Youngkin as a candidate for higher office if he supports strengthening the program, according to a new poll from the Tyson Group.