Joni Ernst: “our Nation, this body, and the American people are all too familiar with stories like Laken Riley's, the 22- year-old…”

“our Nation, this body, and the American people are all too familiar with stories like Laken Riley's, the 22- year-old nursing student beaten to death by an illegal immigrant, one who was already in police custody in New York City before being let go. Unfortunately, after 4 years of Biden's open border, this heartbreaking story has become too commonplace. Hardly a day goes by without hearing of another American who has fallen victim to crimes perpetrated by the illegal immigrants the Biden administration let flood into our country. And worse, too many times an illegal immigrant arrested for a violent crime posts bail, never to be heard from again, escaping through loopholes in the law. This crisis only continues. While these tragedies should have never happened in the first place, my colleagues and I are taking action to ensure they never happen again. My legislation, Sarah's Law, in conjunction with the Laken Riley Act will close these loopholes, so our laws no longer prioritize illegal immigrants over our own citizens. Working to secure the border and protect Americans is not a new fight for me, but it became personal nearly 9 years ago. On January 31--so at the end of this month--marks 9 years since Iowans Michelle Root and Scott Root, whom I know personally, woke up to every parent's worst nightmare. Their daughter, Sarah, was killed by a drunk driver who was an illegal immigrant. Sarah--and she is a beautiful, young woman.…”