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Exclusive: Laken Riley’s sister said she and her family have “hope” for immigration policies, President Donald Trump said he spoke digitally in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University, was brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal immigrants during a morning run in February 2024.
Nursing student Raken Riley was found dead on February 22, 2024 near a lake on the University of Georgia campus (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
Flashback: Trump says he spoke to Lake Lake Riley’s “devastated” parents.
Her sister, Lauren Phillips, told Fox News Digital that she will always speak out in her sister’s honor and memory and advocate for “securing our borders.”
“We think it’s important to keep reminding people of the importance of securing borders and what happens when it’s not safe,” Phillips told Fox News Digital.
“We definitely feel hopeful. We need to keep talking about it and keep everyone realizing what happens when we don’t do anything,” she continued. “And I think there’s a lot going on so far. I’m grateful for that, but there’s still a lot to do.”
Lauren Phillips, left, sister, Lake Rayleigh Riley (Lauren Phillips)
She added:
Phillips was featured on Thursday in the first video launched by American Border Story (TABS). This is a national initiative to uncover the human impact of the US border crisis through storytelling.
“We didn’t stop at L’Eken, so I feel that’s really important. It’s continuing to happen,” Phillips told Fox News Digital. “It feels like it’s not enough to just tell all these people what’s going on.”
Trump will sign the law by Raycan Riley as the first legislative victory in the new administration
“People don’t realize that every time something like this happens, it’s really lost,” she said.
The Tabs video is the first in a series aimed at bringing “The Truth to Light.”
“The truth is that the media and politicians ignore it too often,” Tabs executive director Nicole Kiprilov told Fox News Digital. “The story of Laken Riley is not just a tragedy, it’s a call to awaken.”
Kipriloff said that Tab “is an honor to stand with her sister Lauren and her brave family across America who are turning pain into purpose.”
“This documentary is more than memory: it calls for accountability, restores safety and puts Americans first,” Kipriloff said.
In the video, Phillips spoke about his sister, their relationship, and Riley’s faith, stressing that protecting the border “should have common sense.”
“I could talk about her forever,” Phillips told Fox News Digital. “I think Leken is the type of person you want to love. She was the type of person who appeared, and she wasn’t just my siblings – she was my best friend.”
“Many people will say that her presence has brought great comfort, strength and peace, and I have many of the things she has taught me in my daily life,” she continued. “She had a light that was very impossible to ignore.”
Meanwhile, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act a few days after taking office. It was the first law he signed in his second administration.
Laken Riley was brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal immigrants during a morning run in February 2024.
The measure directs immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) to detain people accused of assaulting police officers who have been arrested or charged with theft-related offences or who are accused of assaulting police officers. The law also allows the state to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to citizens due to illegal immigration.
But Phillips told Fox News Digital that despite changes to federal law, “it’s frightening that we have to roam the same city that had such a tragic thing happened to my sister.”
Riley was murdered near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. It is considered an informal sanctuary city.
“The unintroduced laws are not yet in place in a city where something very tragic happened,” Phillips said. “I thought what happened to Raiken would change that, but nothing has changed there, so I think I’ll keep talking about it and not just retreat, I’ll just don’t be quiet and do something if possible.”
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In addition to speaking up with immigration and celebrating her sister’s life, Phillips said she and her family created the Laken Hope Foundation.
“I have space to share every day and I thank God for renting me at the times he did, and I thank her for her faith and for his faithfulness.
Brooksingman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and Fox Business.
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