Protecting Our Communities from Biden’s Border Crisis

On Thursday, February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a Georgia college nursing student with a promising future and loving family, was brutally murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant while she was on a jog. 

The suspect, Jose Ibarra, had been paroled and released into the United States after crossing the border illegally in August 2022 – one example of how the Biden Administration has abused “humanitarian parole” to allow the mass release of illegals into our country with tragic consequences. Then, a year later, Ibarra was arrested in New York for “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17.” Again, he was released. And in October 2023, Ibarra and his brother were arrested for shoplifting – only to be released yet again on citation.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. In the past few years, we’ve seen several stories come out about the victims of Biden’s open border. In South Louisiana, an illegal immigrant was arrested for raping a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint and brutally stabbing a man multiple times. In Maryland, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant was arrested in connection to the murder of a 2-year-old. He’d been released from custody after multiple arrests in 2023 when local jurisdiction decided to ignore the ICE detainer. Additionally, Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was raped and murdered by another illegal immigrant from El Salvador. In Houston, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was brutally murdered by two illegal immigrants from Venezuela.

These are just a few tragic examples of how communities across the country have suffered because Biden refused to close the border. Between Feb. 5 and Feb. 16, Enforcement and Removal Operations officers arrested 275 illegal immigrant sex offenders nationwide. This is unacceptable. These criminals should not be allowed to enter our country, and especially should not be released from custody after committing horrific crimes here. 

Under the Biden Administration, more than 8.8 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the southern border. As our communities continue to suffer under the weight of Biden’s dangerous open border policies, it is more critical than ever that we stop allowing criminals to flood into our country and put American lives at stake. 

H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins, holds the Biden Administration accountable for their role in these tragedies through their open border policies, requires detention of illegal aliens who commit theft and mandates ICE take them into custody, and allows a state to sue the Federal government on behalf of their citizens for not enforcing the border laws, particularly in the case of parole. 

House Republicans won’t stop fighting to secure the border and protect American communities. When will Democrats finally decide enough is enough?