'He is lying': Alejandro Mayorkas slammed for claiming feds weren't notified about criminal activity of Laken Riley's suspected killer

WASHINGTON, DC: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asserted that state and municipal agencies had not informed the federal government about Laken Riley's alleged killer's criminal conduct.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was first detained by the US Border Patrol on September 8, 2022, near El Paso, Texas. After being arrested and released, he was sent to New York. 

After that, he was supposedly implicated in two crimes before being arrested for Riley's murder.

Alejandro Mayorkas claims the federal government didn't know about Jose Antonio Ibarra's criminal history

During his appearance on CBS’s 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, March 3, Mayorkas said, "Different cities have different levels of cooperation. We were not notified in this instance," while talking about Ibarra's criminal past.  

The Venezuelan migrant was previously detained in connection with two separate incidents: one in which he rode a scooter without a license in New York illegally in August 2023 and the other involving a Georgian shoplifting case.

On February 22, Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens, was brutally killed while out on a morning run, as per authorities. 

"Sanctuary city" policies, which restrict collaboration with federal authorities enforcing US immigration laws, are implemented in several places, including New York City.

The question of whether Athens is a sanctuary city has been openly discussed by local leaders, especially since the arrest of Ibarra, who was residing in the city with his brother. 

Mayorkas took a while to assert that Ibarra's actions during his 'Face the Nation' appearance were not reported to the federal authorities. It required many inquiries from anchor Margaret Brennan before they acknowledged the lack of collaboration, as per the New York Post. 

Ibarra was initially released on parole, a procedure utilized when Border Patrol is overburdened, and many Republican opponents have complained that he was not deported despite having committed crimes before Riley's death.

Talking about Riley’s murder, Mayorkas said, "An absolute tragedy. And our hearts break for and our prayers are with the family. 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."

He added, "As a prosecutor, having prosecuted violent crime and other crimes for 12 years, one individual is responsible for the murder, and that is the murderer."

Internet slams Alejandro Mayorkas for saying that the federal government wasn't notified about Jose Antonio Ibarra's criminal conduct

One said, "Being in the U.S. illegally is criminal activity." Someone else stated, "He is absolutely lying. I mean absolutely, unequivocally without a doubt lying."

"Doesn’t matter. As a parent, I can’t imagine what the family of that girl are going through. To know the murder was committed by someone who shouldn’t even be in the country makes it that much worse," expressed an individual. 

A person opined, "The Biden administration let him into the country and then leftist sanctuary city policies prevented him from being turned over to ICE when he committed multiple crimes before ultimately killing Laken Riley." 

"If Mayorkas did his job, it wouldn’t matter. Here illegally? Good bye. It’s not that hard," stated one more. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.