Man whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant reacts to UGA student's murder: 'Clearly preventable'
Don Rosenberg joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss his reaction to the killing of the nursing student at UGA by an illegal immigrant and why he blames the Democrats for compromised border security.
A father whose 25-year-old son was killed by an illegal immigrant called the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley a consequence of Democrats' border policies.
Drew Rosenberg, whose son was killed in a car accident in 2010, told "Fox & Friends" Monday that Riley's death on the University of Georgia campus was "clearly preventable" after the arrest of an illegal immigrant who lived nearby.
"I see it every day. And it's going to continue no matter who is elected president. The Democrats have created a situation that literally will last for decades. And that's even if everybody cooperates to get these people out of the country," Rosenberg said.
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)
Twenty-six-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela living in an apartment building that sits on the edge of the park where the Augusta University student was running, allegedly murdered the aspiring nurse in what police described as a "crime of opportunity."
According to UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark, Riley died from blunt force trauma.
ICE and DHS sources told Fox News that Ibarra crossed the border into El Paso, Texas in September 2022 and was then released into the U.S. via parole. Newsnation reported that Ibarra was released because there was no space in the El Paso detention center. Additionally, New York police sources confirmed a man with the same name was arrested months prior for child endangerment.
GEORGIA MURDER SUSPECT CONFIRMED TO BE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Rosenberg called out Biden's DHS for giving "excuses" as to why Riley's murder suspect was allowed to walk free.
"DHS said, oh, we don't have any detention beds. We have to release them. Out here in California, we have a prison called Adelanto. It has 2,000 beds. Eight of them are occupied. So there were more than enough detention space to put this guy in, even though we shouldn't even have allowed him in the country to begin with. So none of this surprises me."
Laken Riley smiles for a photo while running. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Instagram)
Rosenberg described the killing of his son, who was in law school at the time.
"He was just coming home one night, and an illegal alien tried to make a last second left-hand turn, and they collided," he said.
Rosenberg said if the suspect had stopped and called for help, his son would still be alive.
"Instead, he accelerated, drove over his body, got stuck, backed up, drove over him a second time, and then went forward. Somebody jumped in front of his car and he stopped with his with a tire on my son's abdomen."
Rosenberg said that unfortunately, time does not heal all wounds and that Riley's family will feel this pain for the rest of their lives.
"It never ends. I feel so horrible for Laken's family. They will suffer with this until the day they go to their graves," he told host Ainsley Earhardt.
A general view of the walking trail along Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens, Georgia on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Riley, a 22 year old nursing student, was found dead along the trail earlier this week. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Riley's family posted a statement on Saturday, describing the 22-year-old as "an amazing daughter, sister, friend and overall person."
"Her love for the Lord was exemplified in every aspect of her life. She will be missed every day, but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way," the statement shared with WXIA read, in part. "During this most difficult time, we ask that you respect our privacy, and provide us the time and space necessary to grieve our daughter’s life that was tragically cut short."
Ibarra is now facing charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another.
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Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
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