Georgia student’s killing renews calls for immigrant vetting

SAN DIEGO (NewsNation) — The death of former University of Georgia student Laken Riley, allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant, is highlighting concerns about thorough vetting of people entering the country illegally.

Even though Athens, Georgia, is located thousands of miles from San Diego, community members were stunned by the news of Riley’s killing. Residents expressed concerns regarding proper vetting procedures for illegal immigrants.

Border Patrol has released more than 1,300 migrants onto the streets of San Diego since Friday after the welcome center that helped process them was forced to close due to a lack of funding.

NewsNation spoke with a mother of three who expressed worry for her children and community if street releases continue.

“It is very concerning as a mother; I have a daughter who is 19, so I see my daughter as that student,” said Rachel, who declined to give her last name. “We are concerned for our children, our daughters, and our sons. There’s an opportunity, a crime of opportunity for many of these migrants that are coming in; there’s desperation that comes in.”

The suspect in Riley’s killing is 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, who authorities say entered the country illegally in 2022 before traveling to New York and then Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp blamed the White House for Riley’s death, saying Ibarra was able to slip through the cracks in the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

The killing and reaction to it come as Border Patrol agents on the San Diego border have encountered more than 100,000 migrants since October from across the globe.

El Cajon, California, Mayor Bill Wells has been informed by federal officials that street releases will resume in his community in the upcoming weeks, further burdening a community already struggling with its increasing homeless population.

“We don’t know why they’re here. We don’t know if they’ve been in prison before. We don’t know if they’re here for good reasons or bad reasons, but we’re already seeing in New York that there’s been a lot of migrants being involved in violent crime,” Wells said. “Obviously, in Georgia, we just had that nursing student who was murdered. I think we’re going to find out more about that, and I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Last year, Wells penned a letter to the Biden administration pleading for federal resources. As of last week, San Diego County has exhausted all funds available to address the migrant surge.