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Floor Speech

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Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, during his State of the Union Address last week, President Biden spoke about solving the ongoing humanitarian crisis at our southern border, and he mentioned the name of Laken Riley. Laken Riley, as my colleagues know, lost her life--lost her life--because of that humanitarian crisis.

Laken was a 22-year-old college student. She was murdered by an illegal alien last month. The illegal alien had been previously cited for theft and shoplifting but was released.

Those who knew her described Laken as a shining light and kindhearted. Her calling in life was to care for others, and she was on her way to answering that calling, studying nursing at Augusta University, when she was murdered--murdered by a Venezuelan national who crossed our border illegally.

To Laken's family and friends: Your fellow Americans grieve with you. We are saddened by your loss. We pray and we hope that, in time, you will find comfort. We should all find comfort in the example that Laken leaves behind.

But let me not be the first to say--let me add my voice to the chorus of voices in emphasizing that words of condolence are not enough. It is far better for us to honor Laken's life by doing everything-- everything--within our power to ensure that no other family endures this or a similar tragedy.

So to President Biden, who said after his speech that he shouldn't have referred to Laken's murderer as an ``illegal,'' and to any of my colleagues who are offended by the use of that term: Let us dispense with misplaced outrage. Let's stop playing political word games. Let's speak as plainly as possible. The man who killed Laken Riley broke the law when he walked across our southern border. He shouldn't have been in our country. He was an illegal immigrant. Had our border not been broken, had our immigration laws not been continually ignored, he wouldn't have been in Georgia, and Laken Riley would still be alive.

The man who killed Laken Riley was arrested in El Paso. He was then welcomed into the country with little obligation other than to follow the honor system, to show up for an appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which he failed to do.

This is but one ripple in a wave--a wave--of illegal immigrants drawn toward and allowed into our border by design. In his first 100 days in office, President Biden signed 94 Executive orders to dismantle-- dismantle--his predecessor's border policies for the simple reason that those policies actually reduced illegal immigration. He ended the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. He scaled back border enforcement. He revived catch-and-release. He halted deportations. He allowed title 42 to sunset. He abused our parole system, allowing millions of people into this country without proper vetting, overwhelming not just our law enforcement and communities along the border but also cities far from it, cities in my home State of Indiana. Last December alone, 300,000 people were processed at the southern border--an alltime high.

Mr. President, I would request 2 more minutes.

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Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, 9 million illegal immigrants have crossed our border during President Biden's Presidency. If only those among us would have spent as much time worrying about securing our southern border as they do about finding inoffensive terms to describe the man who illegally crossed it and then murdered Laken Riley.

For over 3 years, I have urged the Biden administration to reverse its border policies. Record levels of illegal crossings are a national security issue. We know that. But they are also a crime and drug use issue in the State of Indiana and across the country, tragically evidenced by Laken Riley's death. The chaos this administration's policies have caused isn't confined to Texas, nor is it confined to Arizona. Every State is a border State.

I appreciate the good-faith efforts of some of my colleagues--Senator Lankford most notably but others--to find bipartisan solutions to strengthen our border security. I will remain hopeful that we in Congress can find the path to improving our border security laws and to actually enforcing them. But the occupant of the Oval Office is not powerless to act.

At times, President Biden presents himself as a border hawk, waiting on Republicans to give him the tools to end the crisis he created. We should note: The President has routinely pushed the constitutional limits of his office in pursuit of political and policy goals, but now--now--he claims, when it comes to the border crisis, he is hemmed in from taking action by Congress.

Despite the tough talk, we regular Americans would be forgiven for concluding that this administration wants the crisis on our southern border to continue.

Prove us wrong, Mr. President. Fixing the border begins with you.

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