Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) has said President Joe Biden’s inaction on securing the southern border has led to the death of a Georgia college student in an open letter he addressed to the president and his administration.
The letter comes after Jose Ibarra, an illegal Venezuelan immigrant, has been identified as the sole suspect in the murder of Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student found dead on the University of Georgia’s campus. Ibarra had illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released due to lack of detention space, according to NewsNation.
“As I have stated many times in the past, your actions and those of your administration have resulted in every state in the country experiencing the disastrous impacts of an unsecured U.S. southern border,” Kemp’s letter to Biden reads. “More than nine million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since you took office – with an additional, unknown number of migrants who were not detained and processed – while at least 58 people on the terror watchlist have been encountered between ports of entry this fiscal year alone.”
Laken Riley’s tragic death struck the hearts of Georgians everywhere and has sparked national outrage.
Joe Biden’s failed policies have turned every state into a border state, and I’m demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government won’t! pic.twitter.com/wsD4H6BSr6
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) February 24, 2024
The Georgia Republican also stated that Ibarra’s arrest has led to his brother, Diego Ibarra, also getting arrested on charges of having a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card. Despite being arrested multiple times since September 2023, the Department of Justice has confirmed that Diego Ibarra was released “while his asylum claims are being processed,” Kemp’s letter read.
“The American people deserve to know who is illegally entering our country due to your administration’s failures, and what risks and challenges every state must now face,” Kemp wrote.
Jose Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another, according to UGA police chief Jeffrey Clark. Campus police do not believe there was any connection between Riley and Jose Ibarra, according to Fox News.
NEW: Per three ICE & DHS sources to me & @GriffJenkins, Jose Antonio Ibarra, the suspect charged in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, is a Venezuelan national who crossed illegally into El Paso, TX in September 2022 & was released into the U.S. via parole.
We reached… pic.twitter.com/A5Ytc7tAzl— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 24, 2024
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Augusta University has issued a statement honoring Riley in the wake of her death, calling her “a bright and dedicated student.” In the school’s previous semester, Riley had made the dean’s list.
Riley’s funeral is scheduled to be held on Friday afternoon.