CNN reported there was “little evidence” linking illegal immigration and crime after a Venezuelan migrant was charged in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student.
Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was found dead Thursday on the University of Georgia campus with signs of blunt force trauma after setting out for a jog that morning. Murder suspect 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra had crossed into the U.S. illegally near El Paso in September 2022 and was paroled into the U.S., officials confirmed Sunday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also confirmed that the suspect had also been arrested last year in New York by the NYPD and “charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.”
However, CNN repeatedly discounted any connection between the suspect’s immigration status and crime in a Monday report.
University of Georgia murder suspect Jose Ibarra lived within a five-minute walk of the approximate scene where he allegedly murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on Feb. 22. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/ Laken Riley/ Jose Ibarra)
“Ibarra’s status as an undocumented Venezuelan migrant is now being touted by several state and national GOP leaders to support their calls for tighter border security – though there is little evidence indicating a connection between immigration and crime,” the outlet reported.
CNN relayed how Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had called on President Biden to enforce border security and protect Americans following the shocking murder case.
A recent Pew Research Center poll found a majority of Americans believe an influx of illegal immigrants leads to more crime. The CNN report disputed this notion, claiming researchers “have found no such connection.”
ICE CONFIRMS GEORGIA STUDENT MURDER SUSPECT ENTERED US ILLEGALLY, WAS PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED IN NYC
Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
Other news outlets like The Associated Press and Axios have also downplayed the crisis at the U.S. southern border in recent reports.
Axios reported that the border is “more fortified than it’s ever been,” and called the term “open border,” a “myth,” in an October 2023 article that the news site recently reposted.
The AP omitted Ibarra’s immigration status and criminal record in a report on Sunday warning about the dangers of women running alone.
“Riley’s death has once again put the spotlight on the dangers female runners face. Previously, the 2018 death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts while out jogging prompted an outpouring from other women who shared their tales of being harassed and followed,” the article read.
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Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Stepheny Price and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
