Republicans Say Joe Biden Has 'Blood' on His Hands After Laken Riley Death

A host of Republicans, including presidential candidate Nikki Haley, are blaming President Joe Biden's policies for the death of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan migrant, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Riley in Athens, Georgia. On Friday, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said Ibarra was not a U.S. citizen, adding, "right now, I don't know his full status."

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican from Athens, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Biden and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas were responsible for Riley's death. He also blamed Athens' sanctuary city status.

"The blood of Laken Riley is on the hands of Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the government of Athens-Clarke County," Collins posted on X. "The Venezuelan suspect in Laken Riley's murder is one of millions of illegal aliens that the Biden administration has released into this country to be welcomed with open arms by Democrat-run sanctuary jurisdictions. This man had no business being in America, much less the UGA community to brutally murder this young American while she was on a run."

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for a comment on Saturday afternoon. This story will be updated with any provided statements.

Citing multiple Department of Homeland Security sources, NewsNation reporter Ali Bradley wrote on X, that Ibarra crossed into the U.S. illegally at El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was "released due to lack of detention space," Bradley wrote. The information shared by the NewsNation reporter has not been officially confirmed.

On Fox News' America Reports Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley took aim at Biden over Riley's death.

"I am completely disgusted. My heart breaks for this family. But more than that, it makes me angry at Joe Biden that he refuses to really go and make this a No. 1 priority," Haley said.

Haley also blamed Congress and Trump, her Republican presidential rival.

"It makes me angry for Congress who shouldn't be on break this week and on vacation, they should be in Congress to do whatever it takes to pass a strong border bill," she said. "This makes me angry for Donald Trump who told Congress not to pass anything until after the general election because it would affect him.

"We can't wait one more day. Congress needs to get in a room, figure this out and pass a strong, illegal immigration bill, and Donald Trump needs to stay out of it."

Riley's body was discovered in a wooded area on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus on Thursday after a concerned friend called police when she didn't return from a run. On Friday, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said Ibarra had been charged with malice murder and felony murder, along with six additional charges.

Riley's killing has become political fodder for Republicans and Democrats.

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden posted on X, "The blood of this young lady is on Biden's hands."

Gov. Brian Kemp also criticized the president's immigration policies due to Riley's death.

"Laken Riley's tragic death struck the hearts of Georgians everywhere and has rightfully sparked national outrage," Kemp said in a statement. "As I have said many times before: every state is now a border state because of Joe Biden's inaction, and today I am again demanding answers and information from the Biden Administration that will help us protect our citizens when the federal government will not."

Biden has signaled that he's open to "massive changes" on border policy, asking Congress to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal that would pair border enforcement measures with aid to Ukraine to help in its ongoing war with Russia.

However, the GOP-led House struck down the bipartisan border security bill in the Senate earlier this month, as conservative hardliners argue the bill does not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the U.S.

Georgia state senator Jason Esteves, a Democrat, countered Republicans with a post on X that stated, "Laken Riley's family deserves space to grieve without being used for cheap political points. Those who bring up border security should take that up with [Donald] Trump, who recently whipped Republicans in DC into shelving a bipartisan border security bill."