After an undocumented immigrant was arrested Tuesday in the presumed death of 20-year-old Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers blamed the tragedy on the nation’s immigration laws.<\/b>
\nAfter an undocumented immigrant was arrested Tuesday in the presumed death of 20-year-old Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers blamed the tragedy on the nation’s immigration laws.
Referring to Tibbetts’ death at a rally in Charleston, West Virginia, on Tuesday, President Trump called the nation’s immigration laws \u00ab\u00a0a disgrace.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in very sadly from Mexico,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0And you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,\u00a0\u00bb Trump said.
On Wednesday, the White House tweeted, \u00ab\u00a0The loss of Mollie Tibbetts is a devastating reminder that we must urgently fix our broken immigration laws.\u00a0\u00bb
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) also suggested America’s broken immigration system played a role in the tragedy.
\u00ab\u00a0Prayers for Tibbetts family & all who knew & loved Mollie,\u00a0\u00bb he tweeted. \u00ab\u00a0Lots of questions\u2014where did this illegal alien work? what was his work status\u2014but one thing is sure: Mollie would be alive if our government had taken immigration enforcement seriously years ago.\u00a0\u00bb
Vice President Mike Pence, who met with Tibbetts’ family last week during a visit to Des Moines, said he was \u00ab\u00a0heartbroken\u00a0\u00bb by the news.
\u00ab\u00a0Heartbroken by the news about Mollie Tibbetts. Mollie was an amazing young woman and we are praying for her parents, brothers & friends in this time of unimaginable grief\u2026\u00a0\u00bb Pence wrote on Twitter.
\u00ab\u00a0We commend the swift action by local, state and federal investigators working in Iowa in apprehending an illegal immigrant, who’s now charged with first-degree murder. Now, justice will be served. We will never forget Mollie Tibbetts,\u00a0\u00bb Pence said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) along with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) released a joint statement about Tibbetts’ death.
\u00ab\u00a0We are deeply saddened that this bright, young woman’s life was cut short,\u00a0\u00bb they said. \u00ab\u00a0Our heart goes out to the family and friends of Mollie Tibbetts. No family should ever have to endure such a tragedy, especially one that could have been prevented.\u00a0\u00bb
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement saying in part, \u00ab\u00a0As Iowans, we are heartbroken, and we are angry. We are angry that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community, and we will do all we can bring justice to Mollie’s killer.\u00a0\u00bb
The 20-year-old was last seen during an evening jog over a month ago.
According to the affidavit, 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera led authorities to Tibbetts’ body in a farm field east of her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa.
The affidavit also shows Rivera said he pursued her while she was out for her regular evening jog and then later found her body dead in his trunk, her head bloody.
Rivera allegedly said that he had \u00ab\u00a0blocked\u00a0\u00bb himself from remembering the time between, \u00ab\u00a0which is what he does when he gets very upset,\u00a0\u00bb according to the affidavit.
He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.
Suspect Worked for Prominent Republican
CBN News learned Rivera was employed by a dairy farm, owned in part by Craig Lang, a prominent Iowa Republican who ran for secretary of agriculture this summer.
In a statement to the affiliate, the company, Yarrabee Farms, confirmed his employment.
\u00ab\u00a0First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mollie Tibbetts,\u00a0\u00bb the statement read. \u00ab\u00a0This is a profoundly sad day for our community. All of us at Yarrabee Farms are shocked to hear that one of our employees was involved and is charged in this case.\u00a0\u00bb
\u00ab\u00a0This individual has worked at our farms for four years, was vetted through the government’s E-Verify system, and was an employee in good standing.\u00a0\u00bb
Authorities have visited the farm and talked to employees, and the farm is cooperating with the investigation.
Immigration Activists Demand Justice
Author and immigration advocate Matt Soerens says the killer must be brought to justice, but he adds now is not the time to convict and connect millions of other immigrants to this tragic event.
\u00ab\u00a0If illegal immigration was correlated with violent crime, we would expect as the number of illegal immigrants in this country tripled from 1990 to 2013. We’d expect violent crime to increase dramatically as well. But if you look at FBI data, violent crime declined by about 48 percent during those years,\u00a0\u00bb said Soerens.
Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, described it as an \u00ab\u00a0awful tragedy\u00a0\u00bb but warned that the suspect does not represent the values of the immigrant communities.
\u00ab\u00a0The murderer should be brought to justice. He does not belong in the US, nor does he represent the hard work, compassion and contributions of the immigrants, documented or not, who live in the US,\u00a0\u00bb Noorani said.
Tibbetts’ family said they too don’t want her story to become political.
Her aunt left a message on Facebook, which states, \u00ab\u00a0What happened to Mollie was an awful, heinous act. But please do not compound the atrocity of what happened to her by adding racism and hate to the equation. Do not turn #molliesmovement into something ugly. Anyone that knew Mollie knows she wouldn’t want that. Respect each other, support each other, but most importantly be kind!\u00a0\u00bb
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