Senate Republicans' campaign committee escalated its 2026 messaging against Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., on Saturday, tying the anniversary of Laken Riley's death to the border debate and casting Ossoff as weak on immigration enforcement at a moment when President Donald Trump is pressing a heightened crackdown, and Washington is consumed by a fast-moving Venezuela predicament.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) told Newsmax in an emailed statement Saturday that "today would have been" Riley's 24th birthday, and argued her killing should be viewed through the lens of immigration policy and Senate votes.
"Jon Ossoff supported Joe Biden's open borders, refused to champion the Laken Riley Act, and then flip-flopped on the life-saving legislation. Now, he won't recognize the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, whose regime sent Laken Riley's killer to Georgia. Georgians know Ossoff is a spineless political hack they can't trust, and they'll reject him in 2026," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia.
Riley, a Georgia nursing student, was killed Feb. 22, 2024, in Athens, Ga. Federal prosecutors said Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan citizen, was later convicted in a bench trial and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The political fight the NRSC is anplifying centers on the Laken Riley Act, which became the first bill Trump signed in his second term. The law requires the Department of Homeland Security to take into custody certain non-U.S. nationals who are charged with specified offenses, including theft-related crimes, and it also authorizes states to sue the federal government over certain immigration enforcement decisions.
Ossoff voted "yea" when the Senate passed S. 5 on Jan. 20, 2025, according to the official roll call.
The NRSC said that Ossoff previously opposed "a version" of the bill.
The NRSC statement also referenced the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro this month, after President Trump announced a military operation in Caracas.
Reuters reported that Maduro was seized in an overnight raid on Jan. 3 and transferred to U.S. custody.
Supporters of the Laken Riley Act, including Trump and Republicans who pushed it early in the new Congress, have framed it as a public safety measure aimed at preventing repeat tragedies by tightening mandatory detention rules.
Opponents, including immigrant rights advocates and some Democrats, warned during the 2025 debate that the bill could expand detention even before a conviction and strain immigration enforcement resources, raising due process concerns.
In an interview published in 2025, Ossoff defended his vote for the Laken Riley Act while also criticizing border management and calling for enforcement that is "humane and responsible."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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