CNN refused to air an ad that blames President Joe Biden’s policies at the United States-Mexico border for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, according to the group Building America’s Future, which produced the ad.
The six-figure ad buy was run across the U.S., and importantly critical swing states, during Thursday evening’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. Fox News, MSNBC, and Newsmax all accepted the ad.
Executives with Building America’s Future said CNN refused to air the ad.
“CNN and Joe Biden are in lockstep once again: they won’t even #SayHerName,” Phil Cox told Breitbart News in a statement:
It is shameful that CNN is censoring the truth and trying to protect President Biden by refusing to air this ad. The American people understand that Biden’s open borders agenda is responsible for the death of Laken Riley. Building America’s Future won’t be deterred when it comes to the important work of informing the public on how we are all less safe in Joe Biden’s America.
[Emphasis added]
The ad links Biden’s border policies to Riley’s murder. On Feb. 22, the young nursing student went for a run around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus but was later found beaten to death in a wooded area near Lake Herrick.
The following day, 26-year-old illegal alien Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested and charged with Riley’s murder. Ibarra arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in September 2022 and took advantage of Biden’s parole pipeline to get released into the nation’s interior.
“Laken Riley should have been able to go on a run in broad daylight without being murdered by an illegal immigrant. But Joe Biden promised not to deport illegal immigrants,” the ad states.
In August 2023, months before Riley’s murder, Ibarra was arrested and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child in the sanctuary city of New York City. Before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could issue a detainer for Ibarra, he was released from jail.
Then, in October 2023, Ibarra was issued a citation for shoplifting some $200 worth of items from a Walmart in Athens. In December 2023, when Ibarra failed to appear in court for the charges, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
“When Jose Ibarra was arrested in New York City for endangering a child, he was freed a second time. Ibarra went to Georgia where he beat Laken Riley to death,” the ad continues. “How many more killers has Biden set free?”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
