Republican lawmakers lashed out at the Biden administration over its lax border policies after a Venezuelan national who allegedly entered the United States illegally was arrested for killing a Georgia nursing student.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested Friday in connection to the murder of Laken Riley whose body was discovered near a lake on the University of Georgia campus the previous day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) offered prayers for Riley’s family and friends before tearing into President Biden for his administration’s policies leading to the 22-year-old’s murder.
“The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden Administration simply released and unleashed upon our country,” Johnson said.
“For Laken, and the countless many others lost to this border catastrophe, House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order. Mr. President, use your existing statutory authority and CLOSE THE BORDER!”
Ibarra allegedly entered the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released from a detention center due to a lack of space, NewsNation reported Saturday, citing Department of Homeland Security sources.
Biden “has blood on his hands” for Ibarra’s being cut loose once he entered the US,
Follow along with The Post's coverage of Laken Riley's murder
- Laken Riley’s suspected killer, Jose Ibarra, illegally entered US in 2022 — and was cut loose due to lack of detention space: report
- Tributes to slain Ga. nursing student Laken Riley pour in as donations for scholarship in her name top $63K: ‘Would’ve saved so many lives’
- Migrant charged in death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley slipped through law enforcement’s hands twice
- Laken Riley murder suspect Jose Ibarra lived it up in NYC after reportedly entering US illegally, social media posts appear to show
- AP slammed for framing Laken Riley’s murder on dangers ‘female athletes’ face — not on migrant crimes
- Migrant suspect in Laken Riley murder accused of ‘seriously disfiguring’ nursing student as affidavit reveals grim details in case
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote a letter to Biden demanding information on Ibarra’s immigration status while calling for a holistic approach to improving border protection, according to a copy of the note shared on X.
“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!” Kemp wrote on X.
Riley, 22, had attended UGA as an undergraduate through spring 2023, before transferring to the nursing program at nearby Augusta University.
Ibarra is facing a slew of charges — including malice murder — in connection to her killing, police said Friday.
Lawmakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are calling on Ibarra to receive the death penalty for Riley’s murder.
“Ibarra is an illegal alien and murdered a young woman the age of my own children. Deportation is not enough. He deserves the death penalty,” she said.
