FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, MD (R-TN) released the following statement after the Committee sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting documents and other information related to the department’s handling of Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra. Ibarra was arrested on Friday and charged with the murder of 22-year-old University of Georgia student Laken Riley. Ibarra entered the country illegally in September 2022 and was subsequently released by CBP into the interior of the United States.
“DHS has a responsibility to provide the Committee with these documents. There is no excuse not to do so, promptly and without delay. If Secretary Mayorkas truly stands behind his policies of mass parole, he should have no problem releasing records or communications associated with their use in this specific case. However, should the department try to stonewall us as it has in dozens of other cases, we will not hesitate to obtain them through our subpoena authority.
“Laken Riley should be alive today. Her tragic death is more evidence of Secretary Mayorkas’ failure as secretary. The senseless acts of violence committed by illegal aliens released into the country, with insufficient vetting, and under his direction, are ultimately his responsibility. His refusal to comply with the laws passed by Congress is why the House impeached him earlier this month, and why the Senate must do its constitutional duty to fully hold him accountable.”
Read Fox News’ coverage of the letter here.
The requests include copies of Ibarra’s “A-file,” which contains the complete record of an inadmissible alien’s interactions with DHS law enforcement, including CBP, ICE, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Typically included in an illegal alien’s A-file should be any documents related to the decision to parole that individual into the United States rather than remove him. Finally, the Committee is seeking communications between senior DHS and agency officials, including Secretary Mayorkas, in the hours and days immediately following Riley’s murder. The Committee believes these documents will together provide lawmakers with a fuller picture of why Ibarra was released, and the nature of DHS’ response in the aftermath of this preventable tragedy.
Read the letter here.
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