House Republicans are demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas provide information on the illegal immigrant charged with murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) sent a letter to Mayorkas on Tuesday as the secretary faces the prospect of a Senate trial after the GOP-led House impeached him over the handling of the border crisis.
“Criminal aliens exploit vulnerabilities in our nation’s immigration system to the detriment of those in the United States,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Biden Administration’s border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S.”
Authorities detained Jose Antonio Ibarra after Riley, a 22-year-old student at Augusta University, was found dead last week at the University of Georgia in Athens with signs of blunt force trauma. Police suspect it was a “crime of opportunity” as the two did not appear to know each other. Ibarra now faces charges for murder, assault, and more in connection to the killing. He has been denied bond.
Jordan and McClintock referred to a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that said Ibarra was arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in September 2022 after an illegal crossing near El Paso, Texas, and was paroled and released “for further processing.”
ICE said Ibarra was then arrested by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers in September 2023 and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation. ICE said Ibarra was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued.
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The statement from ICE concluded by saying its field office in Atlanta “encountered Ibarra pursuant to his arrest” by the University of Georgia Police Department and being charged with murder and other crimes. It added that the Atlanta field office lodged a detainer.
Jordan and McClintock said they want case history information on Ibarra, details on all of Ibarra’s entries into the United States, information about Ibarra’s processing by CBP officials, and whether ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him. They set a deadline of 5 p.m. on March 12.