After the other networks mostly failed to inform viewers that an illegal alien was arrested for allegedly murdering a young nursing student in Georgia, Fox on Saturday gave the story thorough coverage, informing viewers that the Joe Biden administration had released the Venezuelan national after he crossed the southern border into the U.S. illegally in 2022.
On Fox & Friends Saturday, contributor Tom Homan made two appearances on the show and helped break the news that the suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, crossed the border illegally in September 2022 but was released in spite of federal law that mandates detention under such circumstances.
Homan --who used to be acting ICE director for the Donald Trump administration -- also informed viewers that, while it is very difficult to do an criminal background check on an illegal alien from most countries, Ibarra should also have been deported after he was arrested in New York, accused of injuring a child.
Appearing at 6:13 a.m., the Fox contributor related: "Well, this guy entered the country illegally in September of 2022 under the Biden open border policy. He was released and paroled into the United States like thousands of people are released every day by this administration. So he's here on parole."
He then recalled for viewers that President Trump had implemented a "remain in Mexico" policy that would have kept an illegal alien like Ibarra out of the U.S. until his asylum hearing, but President Biden terminated the program:
He shouldn't be here. Under the Trump administration, he'd be sitting in Mexico in the "remain in Mexico" program, but they killed that program. Under the Trump administration, we ended "catch and release," so, even if he wasn't staying in Mexico, when you enter the country illegally without documentation, the laws say you "shall" be detained -- not "maybe," not "think about it" -- you "shall" be detained. We ended "catch and release." He should at least be sitting in an ICE detention facility.
He then informed viewers that Ibarra had been allowed to stay in the U.S. in spite of being arrested in New York:
They've failed them a third time because after he entered the country, he committed a crime in New York City injuring a child. His wife was arrested for possession of stolen property. Under the Trump administration, he would have been taken back into custody for violating his terms of release. But this administration, Secretary Mayorkas has told ICE you can't arrest somebody for being in the country illegally unless they're convicted of an aggravated felony. He was convicted of injuring a child -- he was arrested. An injured child is not an aggravated felony. This administration failed this family three times. This is another senseless, preventable death because of this open border.
After co-host Rachel Campos Duffy brought up the possibility of him also having a criminal record in his home country, Homan gave viewers critical insight into the inability of the U.S. to adequately do criminal background checks on such arrivals:
We don't know because when somebody enters this country illegally from a different country, we can run them through NCIC -- we run them through our databases. But most countries, we don't have access to their criminal databases. So when people say they're vetted and they're fingerprinted, this is only as good as the information we have access to. So that is a problem. They're releasing thousands of people every day. We don't even know who the hell they are. They can give us any name -- they can give the name "Tom Homan," and they got to accept it if they don't find a record, and most nations don't share their criminal data with us, especially Venezuela, who hates this country.
He went on to remind viewers that about 90 percent of the so-called "asylum seekers" who are allowed into the U.S. lose their asylum cases, but only about six percent of them ever leave the country in spite of eventually receiving deportation orders.
While MSNBC did not cover the story at all, CNN had been covering the murder investigation since Friday morning, and, after news of his immigration status came out, CNN on Saturday morning only informed viewers that the suspect is "not a U.S. citizen" without mentioning that he crossed into the country illegally or was released by the Biden administration.
In the second of two reports during the two-hour show, CNN This Morning Weekend co-host Amara Walker vaguely noted: "Ibarra lived in the area but is not a student, nor is he a U.S. citizen." Correspondent Ryan Young related: "...what we are told by the police chief here is that Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, not a U.S. citizen, someone they believe was from Venezuela, is their prime suspect -- the man whom they arrested for this murder."
Transcripts follow:
Fox & Friends Saturday
February 24, 2024
6:13 a.m. Eastern
PETE HEGSETH: I understand you're aware of some additional details -- some information about this case. What do you have for us?
TOM HOMAN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, this guy entered the country illegally in September of 2022 under the Biden open border policy. He was released and paroled into the United States like thousands of people are released every day by this administration. So he's here on parole. But, look, let's be clear. He shouldn't be here. Under the Trump administration, he'd be sitting in Mexico in the "remain in Mexico" program, but they killed that program. Under the Trump administration, we ended "catch and release," so, even if he wasn't staying in Mexico, when you enter the country illegally without documentation, the laws say you "shall" be detained -- not "maybe," not "think about it" -- you "shall" be detained. We ended "catch and release." He should at least be sitting in an ICE detention facility.
They've failed them a third time because after he entered the country, he committed a crime in New York City injuring a child. His wife was arrested for possession of stolen property. Under the Trump administration, he would have been taken back into custody for violating his terms of release. But this administration, Secretary Mayorkas has told ICE you can't arrest somebody for being in the country illegally unless they're convicted of an aggravated felony. He was convicted of injuring a child -- he was arrested. An injured child is not an aggravated felony. This administration failed this family three times. This is another senseless, preventable death because of this open border.
(...)
RACHEL CAMPOS DUFFY: We know that during the Cuban situation, Castro would release a lot of prisoners. He didn't want to pay for them in his jails, and he let them free. Do we know if these -- if this young man was somebody who maybe was dumped out of a Venezuelan prison. We know their economy is suffering. Why would they want to keep paying for people like him to stay alive?
HOMAN: Here's the problem, Rachel. We don't know because when somebody enters this country illegally from a different country, we can run them through NCIC -- we run them through our databases. But most countries, we don't have access to their criminal databases. So when people say they're vetted and they're fingerprinted, this is only as good as the information we have access to. So that is a problem. They're releasing thousands of people every day. We don't even know who the hell they are. They can give us any name -- they can give the name "Tom Homan," and they got to accept it if they don't find a record, and most nations don't share their criminal data with us, especially Venezuela, who hates this country.
(...)
8:25 a.m.
HOMAN: Here's what the American people need to know. They can call them asylum seekers all they want. The bottom line is, if you look at 10 years of past court data -- immigration court data -- nearly nine out of 10 of these people claiming asylum at the border will get an order of removal years down the road because they simply don't qualify for asylum. They're not escaping fear and persecution from their home government -- they're coming here to get a job -- they're coming here to take benefits. Nine out of 10 will fail. Here's the issue, though. They're not detaining them. In the Homeland Security Metrics Report -- Secretary Mayorkas's own report -- says if you're detained and get an order of removal, you're removed 99 percent of the time. However, if you're not in detention, you leave six percent of the time.
(...)
CNN This Morning Weekend
February 24, 2024
7:14 a.m. Eastern
AMARA WALKER: All right, now to Georgia where an arrest has been made in the death of a woman who was killed while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia. Police say 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra murdered Laken Riley in a, quote, "crime of opportunity" committed during broad daylight. Ibarra lived in the area but is not a student, nor is he a U.S. citizen. Twenty-two-year-old Laken Riley was found dead on Thursday near a lake in a wooded area on campus. CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young is in Athens, Georgia where the community is still in shock.
RYAN YOUNG: Yeah, Victor, and Amara, there are heavy hearts here on the campus of UGA as you understand. People are still in shock about this crime, this murder that happened on campus. It's been such a long time since a violent crime like this has happened on campus, but what we are told by the police chief here is that Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, not a U.S. citizen, someone they believe was from Venezuela, is their prime suspect -- the man whom they arrested for this murder. In fact, listen to the police chief talk about the fact that his investigators and his patrol officers were able to make the arrest and the charges this man faces.
CHIEF JEFFREY CLARK, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA POLICE: He has been charged with the following -- malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Laken Riley, 22, a nursing student from Augusta University College of Nursing. You can understand why so many of her friends and family are so upset by this. We were outside of her sorority. We saw people dropping off flowers, but we also saw a lot of pain because there were several people who clearly were upset. When you think about this, this young lady -- this 22-year-old woman -- was on a running trail that so many people at this university enjoy -- and a course, according to that police chief, they believe this was a crime of opportunity. The two people did not know each other, she was on her run, and they believe this man, as they put into their words, woke up with bad intentions when he decided to attack her. This happened in broad daylight around noontime.
There's also video evidence in this. They have an extensive video system here. Apparently some of that helped with this investigation. They believe this lady was killed by blunt force trauma. Of course it's still early on in this investigation, so as they're working through the pieces of this, we'll learn more information. We're also waiting to see the time when this man will have his first court appearance, but obviously this university has been shaken to its core. Classes have been canceled until Monday, but we'll continue to follow this investigation as detectives work through the weekend doing their search warrant to try to find more evidence.
