The murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, allegedly at the hands of an illegal alien released into the United States, “raises serious questions” about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Alejandro Mayorkas’s leadership, Senate Homeland Security Committee Republicans say.
On Feb. 22, Laken Riley went for a jog around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens, Georgia, but never returned home. Later that day, Riley’s body was found bludgeoned in a wooded area.
The following day, 26-year-old illegal alien Jose Antonio Ibarra from Venezuela was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering Riley. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, Ibarra arrived at the United States-Mexico border in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, and was quickly released into the nation’s interior by DHS.
In a letter to Mayorkas, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) along with Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Rick Scott (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Roger Marshall (R-KS), demand all information relating to Ibarra.
The Senators suggested that Riley’s murder throws into question whether DHS can properly secure the southern border, even with its billions in funds allocated by Congress.
“This tragedy raises serious questions about the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to effectively secure our homeland,” they write.
Hundreds of migrants are continuing to cross the border with Mexico despite the Texas National Guard’s efforts to reinforce it and prevent irregular crossings. (Photo by David Peinado/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hundreds of migrants are continuing to cross the border with Mexico despite the Texas National Guard’s efforts to reinforce it and prevent irregular crossings. (Photo by David Peinado/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
More than six months before Riley’s murder, Ibarra was arrested in New York City for allegedly injuring a child and violating motor vehicle rules. The city’s sanctuary policy ensured that Ibarra was released from jail instead of being turned over to ICE agents.
Then, in October 2023, Ibarra was given a citation in Athens for shoplifting but was not turned over to ICE agents. He failed to appear in court for the charges, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
“The failure to remove an individual who consistently demonstrated a clear disregard for U.S. laws, despite numerous opportunities to do so, highlights a risk to public safety and poses a threat to American lives,” the Senators write.
From February 2021 through January 2024, on President Joe Biden’s watch, DHS data shows that more than 7.2 million border crossers, migrants, and illegal aliens have arrived at the nation’s porous southern border.
For perspective, about 3.6 million Americans are born each year. Thus, two years of American births are equivalent to the total number of border crossings Biden and Mayorkas have overseen.
In January, Mayorkas reportedly said in private that DHS is releasing into the U.S. interior about 85 percent of all migrants arriving at the southern border.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.