Lawmakers berate Mayorkas on Laken Riley murder: ‘Your policies in action’

Republican lawmakers connected Thursday tore into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas complete nan merchandise of nan Venezuelan forbidden migrant now charged pinch nan execution of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley -- accusing nan agency of having released him into nan U.S. unlawfully.

Lawmakers grilled nan embattled caput connected Jose Ibarra, an forbidden migrant from Venezuela, who is accused of sidesplitting Riley connected Feb. 22, while she was jogging astatine nan University of Georgia successful Athens.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed pinch Fox News Digital antecedently that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had encountered Ibarra connected Sept. 8, 2022, and he had been "paroled and released for further processing."

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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee proceeding connected nan department's fund petition connected Capitol Hill connected April 18, 2024, successful Washington, D.C.  ((Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

But lawmakers cited nan parole lawsuit record showing that Ibarra had been released owed to an alleged deficiency of detention abstraction – though immoderate conservatives person pointed to information showing that ICE was not adjacent maximum capacity astatine nan clip of Ibarra's release. The statute governing parole, however, says that releases are only allowed owed to urgent humanitarian reasons aliases "significant nationalist benefit." Republicans person accused nan management of abusing parole pinch its wide policies astatine nan border, saying that nan paroles often do not meet these criteria.

Ranking Member Rand Paul asked Mayorkas astir Ibarra’s merchandise and astir nan legality of nan ground for his parole. Mayorkas said that he would not remark connected nan case.

"All our hearts break for nan family of Miss Riley. Secondly, nan perpetrator of this heinous criminal enactment needs to meet justness to nan fullest grade of nan law. And I will not remark connected nan particulars of nan case, because nan matter is being prosecuted by authorities now," he said.

When Paul followed up, including asking nan caput if he was pleading nan Fifth, Mayorkas said "I person provided my answer" but later expanded.

"There are different bases for parole. I americium not a ineligible master successful this regard, but fto maine guarantee you that erstwhile an individual is encountered astatine nan border, and they are deemed to beryllium astatine nan clip of brushwood a threat to nationalist information aliases nationalist security, they are a privilege for detention," he said. "If not, they person a announcement to look and are placed successful migration enforcement proceedings. The number of individuals encountered astatine nan separator transcend nan number of beds disposable successful our detention facilities. That is not thing circumstantial to this administration."

Laken Riley poses for a photograph posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student astatine nan University of Georgia, was recovered dormant adjacent a reservoir connected field connected Feb. 22. An forbidden migrant has been charged pinch her murder.  (Laken Riley/Facebook)

But Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., past turned up nan power by reference straight from nan parole file, which lawmakers had obtained. He besides revealed that Ibarra had been fixed a activity permit, contempt having been accused of a crime against a kid successful New York and having nan charges later expunged by section authorities.

"Nothing is done to this guy. He had a criminal grounds to commencement with, he's successful nan state connected forbidden grounds. You person falsely and illegally allowed him in. He committed a crime against a child. He's not prosecuted, it's expunged. In November, get this, successful November, Ibarra files an exertion for employment authorization. And unbelievably, connected December 9, 2023, it's approved," he said.

"So this is your policies [sic] successful action, Mr. Secretary," he said.

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"I americium assured that justness will beryllium vindicated successful nan criminal prosecution of nan case," Mayorkas responded, which led Hawley to make a reference to nan recent impeachment effort against Mayorkas.

Well, hopefully he'll get much of a proceedings than you got," he said. "Otherwise, there'll beryllium nary justness for anyone astatine all." 

Separately, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, raised nan CHNV (Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan) parole program, which allows up to 30,000 migrants a period to alert aliases recreation straight into nan U.S. via parole.

"Why are you wide importing tens of thousands of Venezuelans into our state via parole, knowing they can't beryllium deported, because Venezuela isn't precisely accepting removal flights? He asked him.

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"We are not doing that, senator," Mayorkas said. "The word ‘importation’ is incorrect."

Mayorkas besides said it was mendacious to opportunity that Venezuela won’t return return flights.

"So, why do you opportunity it's not correct erstwhile it's been suspended? That's why Americans don't spot you," Marshall fired back.

Fox News' Aubrie Spady and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.