Kemp: Laken Riley’s death ‘avoidable’ with stricter federal immigration policies

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The conversation about the death of 22-year-old student Laken Riley, who was recently killed on the campus of the University of Georgia, has pivoted to intense discussions about how federal policy on immigration is impacting states away from the southern border.

Reiterating his sentiment that “every state is a border state,” a frustrated Gov. Brian Kemp addressed the Athens Chamber of Commerce early Monday morning as classes resumed at UGA for the first time since Riley’s death.

“This community, all of Georgia and the entire country have been rocked by this inexcusable and avoidable murder,” Kemp said. “We need to demand justice for what happened to her. She deserves justice, her family deserves justice, and we need justice on a national level to prevent this type of thing from happening again.”

On Friday, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, was charged with malice and felony murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping, concealing the death of another and several other charges in connection to Riley’s death.

RELATED: Everything we know about Jose Ibarra, the man accused of murdering Laken Riley

As a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Sunday, Ibarra was arrested in 2022 for entering the country illegally at the border in El Paso, Texas.

“He was paroled and released for further processing,” said Lindsay Williams, an ICE spokesperson.

Ibarra was then arrested again in New York City on Sept. 14, 2023, charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.” He was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued, Williams said.

“That is a failure of our system on multiple levels, and at multiple times, and it has resulted in a young woman’s death,” Kemp said. “That is inexcusable.”

Kemp also recently sent a letter to the White House, demanding an update on President Joe Biden’s efforts to tighten security at the southern border. The letter asks the president why Kemp’s administration was not made aware of asylum claims and the presence of Ibarra in Georgia, and for Ibarra’s current status as listed by the federal government.

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Earlier in the month, Kemp completed his fifth trip to the U.S. southern border with Mexico, joining several other Republican governors, including Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, for a tour of the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, an especially problematic stretch.

Days later, he announced Georgia would be sending National Guard troops to the southern border to assist with security operations, and noted on Monday that Georgia already has the longest continuing presence of state guardsmen stationed at the southern border than any other state, which has been the case since Kemp took office.

“It is an understatement to say that this is a major crisis and because of the White House’s failures, every state, as I’ve said repeatedly, is now a border state,” said Kemp. “Laken Riley’s murder is just the latest proof of that.”

Lawmakers are now turning their attention to new potential state policies that can prevent similar tragedies. One familiar option: holding local district attorneys and municipalities accountable for sharing information on illegal migrants in their communities.

“I do think it’s criminal justice, it’s also making sure that our local communities are complying and enforcing federal law, where they’re reporting illegal immigrants that they have in their jails,” said State Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens.) “It’s unfortunate that in Athens, right in my home community, I’m born and raised here, but we have had a local government, local prosecutor, who has been soft on these issues and we can’t afford to have that.”

The Athens-area district attorney, Deborah Gonzalez, who was first elected in 2020, has faced criticism and even talks of General Assembly oversight, because of her prosecutorial record and procedural issues with some of her cases. On Monday, lawmakers and the governor questioned her ability to properly prosecute Ibarra’s case.

RELATED: Gov. Brian Kemp sending Ga. Natl. Guard members to Texas for border help

“Well, she best do that, I can tell you,” said Kemp. “Because the whole country and the world is watching this case. Small crimes, we see it every day, lead to big crimes. And that’s what we’ve seen in this instance.”

Athens has also declared itself a “sanctuary city,” meaning their municipal laws tend to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.

In 2019, the Georgia General Assembly voted to outlaw sanctuary cities, but some, like Athens, Atlanta and Clayton and DeKalb counties continue to exercise relaxed communication with federal enforcement agencies.