Reacting to the recent murder of a University of Georgia nursing student, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Newsmax on Tuesday that "My heart breaks for this family. It appears that Laken Riley was an outstanding young woman and was looking forward to being a healthcare professional."
Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has been charged with the assault and murder of Riley.
Blackburn expressed her sympathies for Riley's family during an appearance on "American Agenda" as well as her frustration with the Biden administration for the chaos at the southern border.
"Under President Donald Trump we had the most secure border that we have ever had," she said. "You did not have the tens of thousands of people from countries of interest. You did not have all of these criminal illegal aliens flooding into our country. And you did not have terrorist showing up at our border on a regular basis."
On Thursday, both President Joe Biden and Trump are scheduled to visit Texas border towns ahead of the March 5 primary.
Biden will meet with U.S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement in Brownsville, while Trump will visit Eagle Pass.
"President Donald Trump is going to be warmly received when he goes to the border and gets an update," Blackburn said.
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