Laken Riley's father Jason says he's 'angry' she is being 'used politically' in immigration debate - but says her suspected killer would not be here 'if we had secure borders'

The father of a 22-year-old nursing student allegedly killed by a migrant this past month has expressed ire over politicians using her death for political purposes. Scroll down for video: Jason Riley, the father of the late 22-year-old, made the remarks on the Today show Monday Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student was killed while out jogging on February 22 Her dad said that the suspected killer, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, would not have been here in the first place 'if we had secure borders' 'I'd rather not be such a political, how you say - it started a storm in our country,' Jason said of his daughter's death. The declaration referred to politicians' use of his daughters names at campaign rallies and speeches - as well as in an eponymous immigration bill - in what's sure to be a hotly contested election year Donld Trump this month blamed Augusta University's nursing college student's death on Biden's policies at the border He went on to meet with Jason Reilly's wife and her second husband backstage at the Rome, Georgia rally on March 9, as well as the roommate who reported her missing when she left for a jog last month and never came back In the days since, 'Say her name' has surfaced as the mostly Republican procession's war cry, with Georgia's most divisive firebrand in Marjorie Taylor Greene quick to take part Others in that stable include United States Senator Joni Ernst, who last month produced a poster with Riley and another slain woman's face - the other belonging to 21-year-old Sarah Root, killed by an undocumented migrant during a traffic accident in 2016 At the time, then-president Trump claimed the Nebraska woman was sacrificed 'on the altar of open borders', before using her death to eventually bolster federal immigration laws Riley's dad, in turn, proclaimed: 'I think is being used politically to get those votes' The suspect has since been arrested and charged with felony murder, false imprisonment, and kidnapping, nearly two years after illegally entering the US from Venezuela, where his brother is said to be a member of the gang Tren de Aragua. Joe Biden this told told MSNBC he regretted calling Riley's suspected killer an 'illegal' during his State of the Union address, claiming he instead should have used the word 'undocumented' Trump rally attendees at the Forum River Center in Rome, Georgia on Saturday, March 9, 2024 hold posters with images of Laken Riley, 22. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, was prepared to give Biden a pass on the language when asked about it on CNN not long after, appearing to dismiss the comment after an odd exchange with anchor Dana Bash Nancy Pelosi on Joe Biden saying Laken Riley “was killed by an illegal”: “He should have said undocumented.” pic.twitter.com/BRhIJpIqrn — ALX 🇺🇸 March 8, 2024 'Now he should have said undocumented, but that's not a big thing, ok?