In the first bill he enacted since his return to the Oval Office, President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, a bipartisan measure that could have saved the life of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. This legislation addresses the very issues that contributed to her tragic death at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
The Laken Riley Act “mandates the federal detention of illegal immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.” Americans can breathe a sigh of relief.
The Trump administration took immediate action to drastically improve our nation’s safety and security by giving college-age women peace of mind as we walk on our campuses and go on our jogs.
[RELATED: 2024: Illegal immigration negatively impacted American students]
And it’s not just the Laken Riley Act: Trump signed executive orders titled “Securing Our Borders” and “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion” that crack down on illegal immigration. The president also declared a national emergency and deployed 1,500 troops to the southern border. Within days, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested hundreds of criminals, including dangerous gang members.
In my own neighborhood of Coral Gables, authorities recently captured 26 illegal immigrants. As I take my evening walks with my dog, I find comfort in knowing that the Trump administration is actively working to make my community safer.
The number of illegal crossings took a nose dive shortly after Trump’s return. The message to illegal immigrants is clear: America finally has a president who cares about the safety and security of our women.
While the man in the Oval Office is focused on making our communities safe again, some university presidents refuse to align with this vision.
Campus Reform reports that Tania Tetlow, President of Fordham University in New York, sent an email to students and professors expressing her sorrow at the thought of illegal aliens being deported.
In her email, Tetlow spoke of her “hope [that] we can agree on our collective empathy for those struggling with an uncertain future.” Where is her empathy for victims like Laken Riley?
Tetlow said immigration is a “deeply complicated policy issue, [and] the subject of nuanced and robust academic debate on a university campus.” There’s no debate about it: violent illegal immigrants have no place in this country, and our government has a responsibility to keep its citizens safe.
In her reckless statement, Fordham University’s president, a female herself, is openly prioritizing criminals over the safety of college-age women.
University leaders must be held accountable for their decisions that compromise the safety of students. Whether the issue at hand is keeping our campuses safe from criminals and violent pro-Hamas protesters, or keeping men out of women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, university leaders must prioritize students over political narratives.
Safety was on the minds of women as they casted their votes for the current occupant of the White House. Trump gained ground with young women in the November presidential election, improving his numbers from when he ran in 2020. Young women like me were thinking about our safety in our neighborhoods, college towns, bathrooms and locker rooms this election. Not all young women were focused on the leftist prescribed narrative of “women’s issues” like abortion.
We voted to protect women, and President Trump’s first two weeks in office have been more pro-women than four years of the Biden administration.
Editorials and op-eds reflect the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of Campus Reform or the Leadership Institute.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
