Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee say the murder of Laken Riley, 22, allegedly at the hands of an illegal alien who was released into the United States, was a matter of concern to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He said it “raises serious questions” about his leadership.
On February 22nd, Laken Riley went for a jog around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens, Georgia, but never returned home. Riley’s body was found beaten in a wooded area later that day.
The next day, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested and charged with Riley’s kidnapping and murder. Ibarra arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was quickly released into the interior of the country by DHS, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
in letter Mr. Mayorkas, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida). , Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), addressed Mr. Roger Marshall (R-KS), requesting all information regarding Ybarra.
Senators suggested Riley’s killing calls into question whether the Department of Homeland Security can adequately secure the southern border, even with billions in funding appropriated by Congress. did.
“This tragedy casts serious doubt on the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to effectively protect our nation’s homeland,” they wrote.
Hundreds of migrants continue to cross the border with Mexico, despite increased security and efforts by the Texas National Guard to stop irregular border crossings. (Photo by David Peinado/NurPhoto, Getty Images)
Hundreds of migrants continue to cross the border with Mexico, despite increased security and efforts by the Texas National Guard to stop irregular border crossings. (Photo by David Peinado/NurPhoto, Getty Images)
More than six months before Riley was killed, Ybarra had been arrested in New York City on suspicion of assaulting a child and violating motor vehicle regulations. The city’s custody policy ensured that Ybarra would be released from jail instead of being turned over to ICE agents.
Then, in October 2023, Ybarra was cited in Athens on shoplifting charges, but was not turned over to ICE agents. He failed to appear in court for the charges and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Our failure to remove individuals who have consistently demonstrated a clear disregard for U.S. law, despite multiple opportunities to do so, highlights the risk to public safety. , poses a threat to American lives,” the senators wrote.
Under President Joe Biden’s watch, more than 7.2 million border crossers, immigrants and illegal aliens arrived at the country’s porous southern border from February 2021 to January 2024, DHS data shows. It is shown in
For comparison, approximately 3.6 million Americans are born each year. Therefore, the number of American births over two years is equivalent to the total number of border crossings that Mr. Biden and Mr. Mayorkas oversaw.
Mayorkas reportedly said privately in January that DHS was releasing the following information to the interior of the United States: 85 percent The number of all migrants arriving at the southern border.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Please email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
