US President Donald Trump on Tuesday paid tribute to Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, two young Americans killed by undocumented immigrants, while pressing Congress for increased funding to carry out mass deportations. Their family members sat in the audience as Trump vowed to take the toughest stance yet on border security and illegal immigration.
“All three savages charged with Jocelyn and Laken’s murders were members of the Venezuelan prison gang, the toughest gang, they say, in the world, known as Tren De Aragua,” Trump said. “Two weeks ago, I officially designated this gang, along with MS-13 and the bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations. They are now officially in the same category as ISIS, and that’s not good for them.”
Remembering Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray
Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law upon taking office in January, requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes or accused of assaulting a police officer.
“Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted. Beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered,” Trump said. “Laken was stolen from us by a savage illegal alien.”
Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was found beaten to death last year after going for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus. The suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, entered the US illegally in 2022 under border “parole” and was later arrested in New York before making his way to Georgia.
Trump condemned the Biden administration for its handling of border security, saying, “Ibarra was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s open southern border and then set loose into the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration.”
Trump also honored 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was sexually assaulted and strangled in June 2024 by two undocumented Venezuelan immigrants.
“She was kidnapped, tied up, assaulted for two hours under a bridge, and horrifically murdered,” Trump said, addressing Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray. “The death of this beautiful 12-year-old girl, and the agony of her mother and family, touched our entire nation greatly.”
To honor Jocelyn’s love for nature, Trump renamed a Texas wildlife refuge after her. “Alexis, moments ago, I formally renamed that refuge in loving memory of your beautiful daughter, Jocelyn,” he announced.
Trump pushes for mass deportations
Donald Trump called on Congress to approve a detailed funding request to ramp up deportations, citing his administration’s struggles to quickly remove undocumented immigrants.
“I have sent Congress a detailed funding request laying out exactly how we will eliminate these threats, protect our homeland, and complete the largest deportation operation in American history—larger even than current record holder President Dwight D. Eisenhower,” Trump said, referring to the controversial Operation Wetback, a mass deportation campaign from the 1950s.
Trump’s push for mass deportations comes amid logistical hurdles, including the need for more detention facilities and border personnel. His border czar, Tom Homan, has repeatedly stressed that ICE can only carry out as many deportations as resources allow.
During his speech, Trump also praised Border Patrol agent Roberto Ortiz, who received a standing ovation, while reaffirming his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The president’s speech, packed with references to border security, mass deportations, and his administration’s past immigration policies, underscored his commitment to making border enforcement a top priority in his second term.
