Uncovering Undocumented Immigrant Crime

The brutal murder of a Georgia student shocked the nation and catapulted the illegal immigration issue front and center in the presidential election. The victim, 22-year-old Laken Riley, went for a jog and never returned. A day later an illegal immigrant from Venezuela was charged in her death.  

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records show that the suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, entered the United Sates illegally in September 8, 2022. Ibarra was arrested in New York City a year later for "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17."

Despite his arrest, Ibarra was released by New York City authorities.  ICE should have been notified of the arrest and detained Ibarra.  By the time ICE learned of the details, the Venezuelan had fled the sanctuary city.  Had New York City officials followed protocol, Laken Riley would be alive.

As details of the grisly murder began gaining circulation, the legacy media launched a disinformation campaign.  Big media omitted the detail of Ibarra's immigration status in reporting on the incident. The details seeped through the national conscience on social media, exposing the cover up.

The New York Times, Washington Post and its television echo chambers tried to deflect the simmering national anger by claiming the arrest of an illegal immigrant was an isolated case.  America doesn't have a problem with "undocumented immigrant crime" was the common theme.

That became an administration talking point too, but facts keep surfacing indicating illegal immigrant crime is a bigger problem than most Americans had been led to believe.  The arrest of one Venezuelan is only the tip of a growing iceberg:

• An illegal immigrant from Honduras was arrested this month in Louisiana for robbing a man at knifepoint and repeatedly stabbing him.  After his arrest, he was also charged with allegedly raping a 14-year old girl.
• A Mexican national who entered the U.S, illegally was arrested in Washington State for allegedly crashing his SUV into a state trooper's car, killing him. Arrest documents stated the suspect had admitted drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel.
• An illegal Salvadoran immigrant was arrested in connection with the murder of a two-year old toddler in Maryland.  He was one of five suspects arrested for the killing.
• A 34-year old Guatemalan illegal immigrant was arrested in Boston for the sexual assault of a 14-year old girl.  The suspect had been released weeks earlier by Gloucester District Court and ICE was not notified.  
• A gang of illegal immigrants stomped and kicked two New York City police officers in Times Square, the center of the city.  Five alleged assailants were released without bail and several fled to California.  

There are likely many similar illegal immigrant crimes that have gone unreported, particularly in sanctuary cities. NBC news tried to soft pedal the ugly incidents, claiming data did not support charges of a migrant crime wave.

However, the news outlet was forced to concede that "the data is incomplete on how many crimes each year are committed by migrants, primarily because most local police don't record immigration status when they make arrests." NBC's attempt at whitewash collapsed on its own admission. 

Had the reporters at NBC not had an agenda, they could have searched the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data base.  In a weeklong law enforcement effort in January, ICE arrested 171 "non-citizens" with pending charges for murder, homicide or assaults against children.  

In fiscal year 2023, the agency arrested 73,822 "non-citizens" in the U.S. with criminal histories.  Those individuals were "associated" with 290,178 crimes and convictions, according to border patrol statistics.  If this is not a crime wave by NBC's definition, then what is?  

Agent arrests and seizures at the border offer further testimony to the crime surge.  Since 2021, agents have arrested 43,674 illegal immigrants at the border with one or more criminal convictions; seized 18,507 weapons; and, confiscated 2,031,059 rounds of ammunition.  

Finally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons released some eyeopening statistics.  As of January, 8.1% of inmates are Mexican nationals.  Non-citizens make up 15.4% of the prison population.  The numbers do not include illegal immigrants in state prisons or local jails because there is no available data.

Communities are becoming less safe because of crimes by illegal immigrants and transnational gangs, such as MS-13 from El Salvador, which ICE labeled "a threat to public safety."  Covering up this menace will not fool Americans, who now see illegal immigration as the top issue facing the nation.