On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared on "Face the Nation" with correspondent Margaret Brennan. During a discussion of the recent murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, Mayorkas' answers were, to say the least, evasive.
Biden DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas reads directly from his notes in response to the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley by an illegal alien — but refuses to admit the murderer should never have been here in the first place. pic.twitter.com/xPqDcfG5Ct
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 3, 2024
Ms. Brennan's repeated use of "allegedly," while annoying, is at least justified because, like anyone, her accused murderer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
In the course of the interview, Brennan asked, quite directly:
But I want to ask you about a criminal case that has become a political rallying point. You heard Donald Trump use this phrase, "migrant crime." A 22 year old nursing student – I know you've been following this – Laken Riley, in the state of Georgia was murdered allegedly by an undocumented Venezuelan migrant.
The suspect had been detained by Border Patrol upon crossing, released with temporary permission to stay in the country. He then went on allegedly to commit crimes twice, once in New York for driving a scooter without a license, and once in connection with a shoplifting case in Georgia.
Did those states and their law enforcement communicate to the federal government that this had happened? Should this man have been deported?
Secretary Mayorkas' reply, which he appears to read from his notes:
First, Margaret, first and foremost, an absolute tragedy, and our hearts break for and our prayers are with the family, number one. Number two, and, importantly, as a prosecutor, having prosecuted violent crime and other crimes for 12 years, one individual is responsible for the murder, and that is the murderer.
And we work very closely with state and local law enforcement to ensure that individuals who pose a threat to public safety are indeed our highest priority for detention and removal.
This is a non-answer. Secretary Mayorkas did not reply to the question about state and local law enforcement reporting Ibarra's actions and/or status to the federal government. Nor did he answer the question about whether Ibarra should have been deported, despite the obvious fact that Ibarra was 1) in the country illegally and 2) had actually been apprehended for immigration violations before the murder of Laken Riley, which begs the question as to why he was not deported at that time.
The full transcript of the interview can be viewed here.
The House of Representatives has impeached Secretary Mayorkas, making him the only Cabinet official to be so impeached except for William Belknap, President Ulysses Grant's Secretary of War, who was impeached on corruption charges in 1876.
See Related: Biden Throws Tantrum Over Mayorkas Impeachment, Deems It a 'Blatant Act of Unconstitutional Partisanship'
NEW: Senate Impeachment Trial of DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas Set for Late February
Secretary Mayorkas' Senate trial, which could lead to his removal from office, is expected to take place shortly, although his conviction in the Democrat-controlled Senate is, to say the least, unlikely.
One has to admit, though, that Alejandro Mayorkas is a fairly typical representative of the Biden administration's officials: incompetent, ideologically driven, unsuited for office, and given his position, a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the American people. If you harbor any doubts about that last statement, I suggest you speak with Laken Riley's family.
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