Want to keep women runners safe? Secure the border

Fox News correspondent Alexandria Hoff has the latest on national concern over migrant crime on 'Special Report.'

As a female marathoner, I prioritize high-quality running equipment, including emergency protective gear like pepper spray designed for runners. Laken Riley, a prepared runner and Augusta University student, was murdered by an illegal immigrant while jogging near her college campus late last week. 

Online running influencers are focusing on increased awareness for women's safety while mainstream news outlets dance around the facts of the case – but the truth is that this travesty highlights an even bigger problem our country faces: 

Our lack of border security continues to cost American lives. 

Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant, lived within a five-minute walk of the approximate scene where he allegedly murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on Feb. 22. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/ Laken Riley/ Jose Ibarra)

The growing list of citizens killed by illegal immigrants highlights the broader impact of our embarrassing and dangerous southern border policies. Since President Biden took office in 2021, an estimated 7.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border – equivalent to the population of the entire state of Arizona, and about 3.5 times the number of people residing in the state of New Mexico.

LAKEN RILEY'S DEATH IN GEORGIA BEGS BIG UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. HERE ARE 10

December 2023 marked the highest number of encounters at the southern border on record. While mainstream news pundits tout that crossings have recently plummeted, last month was still distinguished by the highest number of border encounters ever recorded for the month of January. 

What is even more concerning is that