Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones told Newsmax on Thursday that the murder of Laken Riley this year "is a direct reflection on" the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, on Wednesday was convicted of the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley last February and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

"I was glad for the quick response from the judge on life in prison," Jones said on "National Report," adding that it was "just heart-wrenching to watch."

Jones noted that he's "met with the Riley family, both her own mother and her father's side of the family. And obviously, you'll never get over this as a parent. You never get over losing a child" and "the manner in which it happened is just absolutely heart wrenching and could unnecessary and could have been avoided."

Jones added: "You hate to throw politics into this, this kind of situation, but this is a direct reflection on the last 3½ years of … an administration who has opened this border and … we don't know what all instances have taken place because of the recklessness of the last four years."

Laken Riley's father, Jason Riley, previously said, "We both have no idea if" a different immigration policy "would have changed anything, but [Ibarra is] here illegally ... he might not have been here had we had secure borders."

Jason Riley also said that his daughter's death "started a storm in our country" and "incited a lot of people" over the issue of immigration policy, saying that he felt his daughter is "being used, somewhat, politically" and noting that "people on both sides that have lashed out" at him and his family.

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