Following the unfortunate death of a 22-year-old nursing student on the University of Georgia campus, Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is pressing the White House for answers.
The letter arrived at the same time as Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was named as a suspect in the UGA campus murder of a 22-year-old nursing student.
Ibarra, a citizen of Venezuela, entered the country unlawfully in September 2022 and was granted parole to return to the United States, according to three ICE and DHS sources who spoke with Fox News.
In a letter dated Saturday morning, Kemp asked for an explanation and insisted that the White House fortify the southern border.
Kemp’s letter was released on X. “Frankly, Mr. President, your continued silence in response to these reasonable requests is outrageous,” Kemp wrote. “The American people deserve to know who is illegally entering our country due to your administration’s failures, and what risks and challenges every state must now face.”
In the correspondence, Kemp requested details regarding Ibarra’s present immigration status and the reason behind the administration’s purported emphasis on the necessity of swiftly disclosing the suspect’s immigration status.
“Why was my administration not made aware of the asylum claims and subsequent release of an illegal resident who presented fraudulent identification?” Kemp enquired. “What is the current immigration status of Jose Antonio Ibarra and why has this information not been relayed to my administration?”
“What additional information does your administration possess regarding these individuals and the circumstances surrounding their entry into the country?” Kemp enquired.
Kemp stressed that rather than ICE & DHS authorities, his government was forced to rely on unauthorized sources and leaks to media outlets for information on Ibarra.
In order to give state and local officials the information they need to protect communities, he insisted that Ibarra’s immigration status must be made public as soon as feasible.
“While media reports surrounding this case have relied on sources and leaks from your own federal agencies, the answers to these basic questions must be provided publicly as soon as possible to ensure state and local officials have the information we need in order to keep our communities safe,” Kemp stated.
The federal government needs to secure the border, Kemp insisted, before Riley’s fate is “replicated across the country.”
These are not exclusive to Georgia disasters. As we have done since 2019, we will continue to provide Texas with National Guard resources, but federal action to secure the border is the only way to fully solve this ongoing crisis and guarantee that Laken Riley’s tragic fate is not repeated across the nation, Kemp stated. “However, if you continue to refuse to exercise your authority as president, your administration must provide the information necessary for Georgia and other states to protect our citizens.”
The House Republicans, as stated by the White House on Friday, are impeding efforts to find a solution to the “broken” immigration system that Biden has described.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during the daily White House press briefing, “For the past several months, we worked with Republican senators and also Democrats in the Senate to try to come up with a fair and tough piece of legislation that would deal with border security.”