CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday grilled Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the illegal immigrant charged in the death of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Mayorkas appeared on “Face the Nation” to discuss the ongoing border crisis and the backlash he received after the death of Riley, who was allegedly killed by undocumented Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra on February 22. Ta. Details about Mr. Ibarra were revealed on February 23, after authorities made his identity public. A few days later, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that he was in the country illegally. ICE officials announced that Ybarra was arrested in New York City (NYC) for a driver's license violation before he was charged in Riley's death. (Related: Illegal immigrant with criminal record charged with murder of University of Georgia student)
Brennan asked Mayorkas whether Ybarra should have been “deported” because of his past criminal history. However, the DHS secretary claimed that the federal government was “not notified” of his case.
“Did these states and their law enforcement agencies tell the federal government that this happened? Should this man have been deported?” asked Brennan.
“I have a few thoughts. First, Margaret, first and foremost, this is an absolute tragedy, our hearts are broken and our prayers are with the family. Second, and importantly. As prosecutors who have been prosecuting violent crimes and other crimes for 12 years, we believe that one person is responsible for a murder, and that is the murderer. And we believe that state and local law enforcement We work very closely with agencies to ensure that individuals who pose a threat to public safety are the highest priority for detention and incarceration,” Mayorkas said.
“But are you then saying that the federal government was informed about this person and the crimes he allegedly committed in these states, because then he could have been deported? . Was there a system failure?'' Brennan pressed.
“So, Margaret, there are many cities across the country that have varying degrees of cooperation with immigration authorities. We strongly believe that,” Mayorkas said.
“Isn't that what happened in New York?” Brennan jumped in.
“We strongly believe that if the city is aware of someone who poses a threat to public safety, we will request that information so that we can ensure that we can take that person into custody if the facts warrant. ” Mayorkas continued. .
“So it seems like they weren't working together?” Brennan asked.
“Well, different cities have different levels of cooperation. In this case, we were not notified,” Mayorkas said.
Since his arrest, Ybarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, interfering with a 911 call, and concealing the death of another person. He is currently being held without bail. Atlanta's Enforcement and Elimination Operations Office (ERO) also filed a motion to detain Mr. Ybarra.
