Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated on Sunday that the federal authorities were not told of the suspect’s past arrests in the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student.
“Different cities have different levels of cooperation,” Mayorkas explained on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We were not notified in this instance.”
Jose Ibarra, the suspect in Riley’s murder, is an undocumented Venezuelan migrant who was captured by US Customs and Border Protection after coming into the US with permission to stay temporarily. According to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the suspect went on to allegedly commit two felonies in Georgia and New York.
Mayorkas stated that the federal government collaborates closely with state and local law enforcement “to ensure that individuals who pose a threat to public safety are indeed our highest priority for detention and removal.” However, he clarified that different locations had “varying degrees of cooperation with immigration authorities.”
“We firmly believe that if a city is aware of an individual who poses a threat to public safety, then we would request that they provide us with that information so that we can ensure that that individual is detained if the facts are warrant,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
The statements come as immigration has begun to dominate political debate, with Republicans criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border. Republicans have used Riley’s death and the suspect’s migrant status as examples of the White House’s border inadequacies, despite the fact that both parties have expressed support for increased border security.
Days ago, President Biden and former President Donald Trump paid opposing trips to Texas border towns, as the topic becomes a focal point in the 2024 race.
As the two expected party nominees prepare for the general election, Trump attempted to link the suspect to Mr. Biden, portraying Ibarra as a “monster illegal alien migrant released into the country” by Biden.
According to a CBS News/YouGov survey issued on Sunday, Trump leads President Biden by four points nationally — 52% to 48% – his highest lead yet.
When questioned about the border, Trump has a substantial lead among voters, with 50% believing Biden’s policies increase the number of migrants attempting to breach the southern border, compared to only 9% who think the same about Trump’s plans.