Politicians Blame Immigration Laws for Tibbetts' Murder: 'No Family Should Have to Endure Such a Tragedy'

CBN
08-22-2018

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The suspect in the murder of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was in court on Wednesday, facing a first degree murder charge. Cristhian Rivera, 24, is accused of kidnapping the 20-year-old Tibbetts last month while she was out jogging, and later killing her and dumping her body in a corn field.

Authorities say Rivera is in the US illegally and that he used a false ID to get work. The owner of the farm where Rivera worked says when they hired him they screened him through an older system, instead of Homeland Security's newer e-verify system.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders addressed the incident during a press conference at the White House saying, "The Bible tells us in Psalms that the Lord heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. The Tibbetts family is hurting and they are on the hearts of all Americans and we are grieving with them."

President Trump and other Republican lawmakers say this tragic case is why there needs to be stricter immigration laws.

Referring to Tibbetts' death at a rally in Charleston, West Virginia, on Tuesday, President Trump called the nation's immigration laws "a disgrace."

"You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in very sadly from Mexico," he said. "And you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman."

On Wednesday, the White House tweeted, "The loss of Mollie Tibbetts is a devastating reminder that we must urgently fix our broken immigration laws."

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) also suggested America's broken immigration system played a role in the tragedy.

"Prayers for Tibbetts family & all who knew & loved Mollie," he tweeted. "Lots of questions—where did this illegal alien work? what was his work status—but one thing is sure: Mollie would be alive if our government had taken immigration enforcement seriously years ago."

Vice President Mike Pence, who met with Tibbetts' family last week during a visit to Des Moines, said he was "heartbroken" by the news.

"Heartbroken 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…" Pence wrote on Twitter.

"We 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," Pence said.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) along with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) released a joint statement about Tibbetts' death.

"We are deeply saddened that this bright, young woman's life was cut short," they said. "Our 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."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement saying in part, "As 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."

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 "blocked" himself from remembering the time between, "which is what he does when he gets very upset," 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.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mollie Tibbetts," the statement read. "This 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."

"This 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."

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.

"If 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," said Soerens.

Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, described it as an "awful tragedy" but warned that the suspect does not represent the values of the immigrant communities.

"The 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," Noorani said.

Tibbetts' family said they too don't want her story to become political.

Her aunt left a message on Facebook, which states, "What 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!"

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