Trump, Biden Release Statements on Murder of Georgia Student Amid Border Crisis

(Left) Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 24, 2024. (Right) President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a black-tie dinner at the White House on Feb. 24, 2024. Anna Moneymaker, Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

Following the recent murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Hope Riley, former President Trump is promising to seal the border to illegal immigration on day one if he is re-elected, while President Joe Biden says anyone who is found guilty of a crime in the United States should face the full force of the law.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested by police in connection with the death of Ms. Riley on Feb. 23, the day after her body was found on the University of Georgia campus. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) documents cited by NewsNation indicate Mr. Ibarra crossed unlawfully into El Paso, Texas in 2022, and was released back into the community because there was not enough detention space.

In a Feb. 27 post on the social media platform Truth Social, former President Trump said that when he is successfully reelected in the upcoming 2024 elections, he will make his first order of business closing the border to illegal immigration.

“When I am your President, we will immediately seal the border, stop the Invasion, and on day one, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American history,” he said of the need for preventative action.

“May God bless Laken Riley and her family. Our prayers are with you!”

Record numbers of illegal immigrants and drugs have been flowing into America in recent years. At the moment, it’s estimated that more than 10 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since President Biden took office in 2021.

According to former President Trump, the blame rests solely with the federal government and Congress, which he says is “destroying our country and killing our citizens.”

“The horrible murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia should have NEVER happened,”

“The monster who took her life illegally entered our Country in 2022, and then was released AGAIN by Radical Democrats in New York after injuring a CHILD.”

Mr. Ibarra was reportedly arrested in New York for allegedly endangering a 5-year-old child several months before he allegedly killed Ms. Riley. Police, based on investigators’ findings, have charged Mr. Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, a suspect in the murder of a Georgia nursing student, is seen in an undated police mugshot. Clarke County Sheriff's Office

At the same time, in a media statement to Fox News, the White House offered condolences to Ms. Riley’s family while also calling for anyone found guilty of a crime in America to face the full extent of the law.

“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Hope Riley,” the White House statement said.

“People should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be guilty. Given this is an active case, we would have to refer you to state law enforcement and ICE.”

Laken Hope Riley. Augusta University via AP

Several congressional Republicans are calling for stricter border security in the wake of Ms. Riley’s murder. In a Feb. 24 post on social media platform X, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged President Biden to use his “existing statutory authority” and close the border now.

“The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden Administration simply released and unleashed upon our country,” Mr. Johnson said.

“For Laken, and the countless many others lost to this border catastrophe, House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order,” he added.

The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for further comment.