Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp demands answers from Biden on Laken Riley suspected killer's immigration status

Georgia Governor Kemp is demanding answers from the White House regarding the murder of a nursing student at the University of Georgia.

Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has written a letter to President Biden demanding answers in the wake of the tragic killing of 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Hope Riley, on the campus of the University of Georgia. The suspect in the murder, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, was charged and identified as a Venezuelan national who crossed illegally into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole.

Kemp's letter to the President sought clarification and demanded that the White House secure the southern border. He expressed frustration at the administration's silence in response to his requests, and called for information on Ibarra's current immigration status, emphasizing that his administration was forced to rely on unofficial sources and leaks to media outlets for information on Ibarra.

He also demanded that the federal government secure the border before Riley's fate is "replicated across the country." Kemp emphasized that these tragedies are not unique to Georgia, and federal action to secure the border is necessary to address the ongoing crisis and ensure that Riley's fate is not repeated elsewhere.

The White House, on the other hand, insisted that House Republicans stand in the way of a solution to what Biden has called a "broken" immigration system. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that a bipartisan deal reached last month had been endorsed by the Border Patrol union before being declared "dead on arrival" by Speaker Johnson. Ibarra was taken into custody by UGA police and charged with multiple offenses, including malice murder and aggravated battery.

Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead after previously attending UGA before entering a nursing program at the University of Augusta's Athens campus. Autopsy results remained pending Friday, but authorities said they were investigating her death as a homicide, and it appeared as though she had been killed by blunt-force trauma.

Kemp's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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