by Debra Heine
The criminal illegal alien accused of killing Laken Riley was released into the U.S. in September of 2022 because the Department of Homeland Security lacked detention space, according to his immigration file.
Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan national charged with murdering Riley in February, was released under DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ power of parole, which is only supposed to be used “when there is an urgent humanitarian need or a significant benefit to the public,” the Washington Times reported.
Key parts of the file were read into the record Thursday during what started out as a Senate hearing on the Biden regime’s budget but turned into a heated on immigration, with GOP senators taking turns lambasting Mayorkas for allowing thousands of dangerous criminals into the country.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) argued that lack of detention space didn’t meet the standards for parole, so Mayorkas broke the law in releasing Ibarra.
“Now we all know that the reason he was paroled into this country is because of lack of detention capacity, which you and I both know is not a valid reason,” the senator said.
During a Senate hearing last week, Mayorkas suggested that Ibarra’s release into the U.S. was justified because the Homeland Security had no reason to detain him.
But the DHS Secretary has worked to gut ICE detention in favor of a “catch and release” policy at the border that allows hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens to be released into the interior. Mayorkas has reportedly asked Congress to cut bed space in every budget he’s submitted.
In 2022, 2023 and 2024 he asked lawmakers to reduce bed space from 34,000 to 25,000. Congress rebuffed each of those and even upped the number to 41,500 beds in the new bill.
Mr. Mayorkas‘ latest budget again calls for a cut, this time back down to 34,000.
Ibarra (pictured above) entered the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2022, and was quickly released on parole.
In July of 2023, when he reported to immigration authorities in New York and was fingerprinted, the results showed he had “a criminal history,” Mr. Hawley noted.
A couple months later, Ibarra was arrested in New York City on charges of injuring a child, but the case wasn’t prosecuted.
“He had a criminal record to start with, he’s in the country on illegal grounds, you have falsely and illegally allowed him in, he commits a crime against a child, it’s not prosecuted, it’s expunged,” Mr. Hawley said.
The Missouri senator was incredulous that DHS went on to give the criminal alien a permit to work legally in the U.S.
“In November—get this!—Ibarra files an application for employment authorization and, unbelievably, on December 9, 2023, it’s approved!” the senator exclaimed.
“So, these are your policies in action Mr. Secretary,” Hawley charged. “A criminal is allowed into the country on grounds that are flatly not permitted, flatly contradictory of the statute, he commits a crime against a child, and then he gets a work permit!”
The senator asked Mayorkas, “is this a record you’re proud of?”
In his response, the DHS chief accused Hawley of “misstating the facts.”
“I have read from the parole file,” Hawley shot back, adding that in previous testimonies, Mayokas had alternately claimed he didn’t have the file, couldn’t recall its contents, or miscited its contents.
“I’m reading from it,” Hawley declared, holding up the file. “It is right here and pursuant to the Speech and Debate Clause I have just read it into the record.”
The senator accused Mayorkas of lying “repeatedly to Congress and to the American people” about the case.
He added, “I just want to know, why did you change your story so often?”
Mayorkas declined to answer, saying only “I’m confident that justice will be vindicated in the criminal prosecution of the case.”
“Well, hopefully, he’ll get more of a trial than you did,” Hawley fired back, referring to the short impeachment trial of Mayorkas that was killed by Democrats earlier this week.
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Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.
