Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp blasted the Biden administration Sunday over the death of Augusta University student Laken Riley, allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant.
Kemp told the “Fox & Friends Sunday” hosts President Joe Biden has yet to reach out to him regarding the killing of Riley, who was found dead near a lake at the University of Georgia (UGA) campus after going missing. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the 22-year-old nursing student’s suspected killer, entered the United States illegally in 2022, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statement to the Daily Caller.
“I, along with a lot of other people, [have] been making [a point] now that every state is a border state. I mean, we are beyond frustrated,” Kemp said. “When you look at what Greg Abbott’s done. He’s having to secure his own border at the state. I mean, the Democrats are mad at him for doing that, but he’s, you know, had his last straw, [and] the people of Texas have.”
Kemp said he visited the southern border like many Republican governors, noting that he and others have “raised the issue” to the president “for well over two years now.”
“We now have, you know, millions of people, seven and a half, eight and a half, however many million people that have come into our country,” Kemp said. “And then you have people like these two individuals that came into the country and they committed crimes and nobody was notified of those. And why were they not sent back? Why are we allowing people to come here that are not U.S. citizens and break our laws and then not send them back home? It’s so frustrating.”
“This is a federal issue. This is an issue that the president can take action on,” he added. “And I know he’s trying to blame, you know, inaction in Congress. That is passing the buck, we know that there’s things that he can do that the Republican governors that were at the border just weeks ago stand ready to help him do that. We stand ready to send national guard resources. And let’s secure our border and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Ibarra, who had an extensive criminal record, was arrested Friday soon after Riley’s body was found. The suspect lived in Athens, Georgia after having crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas. Ibarra was previously released from detainment by authorities due to a lack of holding space, News Nation reported. (RELATED: Woman Hosting Illegal Migrant At Her Home Reportedly Says Experience Is Like Having ‘Personal Chef’)
“This individual’s not going anywhere, I can assure you that,” Kemp told Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy when asked if the suspect could be deported. “He’s locked up right now. There is no bail and he will be tried here in our state.”