Ricketts: Laken Riley’s Murder “A Direct Result of President Biden’s Failed Border Policies”
February 28, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) explained how President Joe Biden’s open borders policies led to the recent murder of nursing student Laken Riley. Riley was brutally murdered while on a morning run. Her alleged killer is an illegal alien who had been paroled by the Biden administration. Ricketts made the comments while on a conference call with Nebraska media.
“Initial reports make it very clear that this brutal murder is a direct result of President Biden’s failed border policies,” Ricketts said.
“The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to secure our borders. President Biden has utterly failed to do that,” Ricketts continued. “His open borderpolicies incentivized Laken Riley’s alleged killer to come here illegally. His abuse of parole authority enabled her killer to be released into the country. His refusal to enforce our laws gave her killer the opportunity to commit this heinous act. President Biden failed to protect Laken Riley.”
“We must do better,” Ricketts concluded. ”I’m committed to passing a border bill that forces Biden to secure our border. We need to stop his mass parole of illegal aliens and end the national security and humanitarian crisis that Joe Biden has created. I won’t stop working until we pass the right deal, not just any deal. That’s the best way to ensure that we don’t lose more innocent lives like Laken Riley’s.”
Watch the video HERE.
TRANSCRIPT:
Senator Ricketts: “Joe Biden’s open border policies are the deadliest and most dangerous in American history.
”Because of his failed policies, every state is a border state. It is costing Americans their lives. Laken Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student. Last week, she was brutally murdered while on a morning run near the University of Georgia campus.
“Initial reports make it very clear that this brutal murder is a direct result of President Biden’s failed border policies.
“The alleged killer, Jose Ibarra, is an illegal alien from Venezuela. Ibarra’s case is a tragic example of Biden’s abuse of parole authority. He crossed the border illegally in El Paso, Texas, in September of 2022. Like many others, Ibarra that knew he could take advantage of Biden’s border failure. He claimed to be seeking asylum and the Biden administration released him through parole. However, according to his wife, he was just looking for a better job.
“Asylum and parole are not intended to be a general amnesty for those who want a new job. They are supposed to be reserved for individuals with special circumstances. Yet our broken asylum process and Biden’s abuse of parole allow people like Ibarra to be released into this country.
“Biden did this for over 1.2 million illegal aliens in the last year alone, fiscal year 2023. Now for comparison, under the Trump and Obama administrations, that number of annual parolees was 5,600 on average. Again, 5,600 to 1.2 million.
“Abuse of parole isn’t the only policy that failed to prevent the murder of Laken Riley. After crossing the border illegally, her murderer and his family were then bussed to the sanctuary city of New York. There, they received free food and shelter, courtesy of the American taxpayer.
“Ibarra also continued to break our laws. In September of last year, Riley’s murderer was arrested by NYPD for ‘acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17.’ Instead of alerting immigration authorities, New York just released him. Sometime after that he moved to Georgia and murdered Laken Riley.
“The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to secure our borders.
“President Biden has utterly failed to do that. His open border policies incentivized Laken Riley’s alleged killer to come here illegally. His abuse of parole authority enabled her killer to be released into the country. His refusal to enforce our laws gave her killer the opportunity to commit this heinous act.
“President Biden failed to protect Laken Riley. He also failed to protect Taryn Lee Griffith and the countless other Americans who have died of fentanyl overdose.
“We must do better.
“I’m committed to passing a border bill that forces Biden to secure our border. We need to stop his mass parole of illegal aliens and end the national security and humanitarian crisis that Joe Biden has created. I won’t stop working until we pass the right deal, not just any deal. That’s the best way to ensure that we don’t lose more innocent lives like Laken Riley’s.”