immigration

Where is Ava Moore’s Due Process?

It’s a heartbreaking story that is becoming all-too familiar.

Over this past weekend, 18-year-old Ava Moore, an Air Force Academy cadet candidate, was killed by an illegal alien from Venezuela.

Ava was kayaking on Grapevine Lake, Texas this past Memorial Day weekend when Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez, who was driving a jet ski at a high speed, collided with the incoming Air Force cadet.

Gonzalez has been charged with second-degree felony manslaughter. Maikel Coello Perozo, who she was with, was charged with collision involving damage to a vehicle and with hindering apprehension after fleeing the scene.

In a statement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, “Ava Moore’s senseless death was caused by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country in the first place. My heart breaks for Ava’s family and friends, and my prayers are with them as they face this tragedy.”

Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have confirmed that both individuals were here illegally. Previously apprehended at the border, they were released and instructed to return for processing. They never did.

According to the House Committee on Oversight, “The Biden Administration failed to detain most illegal aliens during removal proceedings, releasing over 75 percent of illegal aliens encountered by Border Patrol in December 2023. In addition, the Administration failed to remove most of the illegal aliens encountered during Joe Biden’s presidency.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have reported there were nearly 11 million “encounters” at the borders during the Biden years compared with 3 million during President Trump’s first term.

Nobody is alleging that the individuals here illegally deliberately targeted Moore, but if they had been properly processed in the first place, Ava would still be alive.

Moore had just graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School and was expected to play basketball for the Falcons this coming season.

Her would-be school mourned her passing in a statement from Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind:

We lost an exemplary teammate this weekend — Cadet Candidate Ava Moore, whose passion for leadership and service left an impact on everyone she met. Ava’s constant happiness and attitude helped her squadron get through the challenges of the Prep School, and her drive to excel was on display as she sought out leadership positions to improve herself and her team.

In recent months, legal and political battles have unfolded over the deportation of illegal aliens just like these individuals now charged in the death of Ava Moore. In March, the Trump administration deported 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and 23 members of MS-13, an international gang. In an effort to simplify and expedite the process, officials invoked the Alien Enemies Act – a 1798 law that gives the president broad powers to remove individuals who pose a threat to the country.

Critics and some courts and judges have pushed back citing the need for “due process” – which is principle broadly understood to ensure fundamental fairness.

Without diving into the details or individual cases, an obvious and heart-wrenching question must be posed: Who was protecting the fundamental rights of Ava Moore this past weekend to enjoy a kayak ride on a holiday weekend?

Earlier this month, Homeland Security released a video remembering Americans killed by illegal immigrants driving under the influence.

Ivory Smith was seven years old. Maverick Martzen was eight. Alex “AJ” Wise Jr. was ten.

And Ava Moore was eighteen.

In a remarkable gesture, Ava’s family released a statement following her death, pointing to a foundation of faith:

This is a difficult time for all involved, but also an opportunity for our beautiful girl to continue to impact our community. Out of this tragedy, God will make good — and that only can be accomplished through forgiveness.

We urge prayers for all those grieving the loss of this young woman.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force

Laken Riley Act Passes Senate

The Laken Riley Act (S. 5) passed Congress yesterday after the U.S. House of Representatives approved slight amendments from the U.S. Senate. It is expected to become the first piece of legislation President Trump signs into law.

The bill, which the House and Senate passed in 264-159 and 64-35 votes, respectively, allows state attorneys general to sue state and federal officials for failing to enforce immigration laws. It also requires police help Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deport illegal immigrants arrested for some petty crimes.

The House is expected to approve the slightly amended legislation later this week. In a post-inauguration address to his supporters, Mr. Trump implied he would sign it.

“There is a bill coming up very shortly that [will have] a lot of Democrat votes,” the President predicted. “It’s going to be a very beautiful bill. We’re going to have a decision…within a week or so, I think. You all know what I’m talking about.”

Representative Mike Collins introduced the bill last year after one of his constituents, 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, was murdered by an illegal immigrant. It fixes some of the systemic failures that allowed her killer, Jose Ibarra, to roam the U.S. freely.

Police arrested and released Ibarra at least three times between 2022, when he entered America illegally, and February 2024, when he brutally beat Riley to death.

Deportation proceedings being when police lodge a detainer, or transfer custody of an illegal immigrant to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Though law enforcement is required to lodge detainers for illegal migrants arrested for criminal offenses, some still choose not to. New York City police arrested and released Ibarra for child endangerment in 2023 . A month later, he flew to Georgia courtesy of New York taxpayers.

It’s unclear why the NYPD failed to detain Ibarra. Importantly, New York City considers itself a sanctuary city, loosely defined as jurisdiction that refuses to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The Laken Riley Act, if signed, will make it riskier to ignore detainer mandates and other federal immigration laws.

The bill also requires officers to lodge detainers on illegal immigrants arrested for theft, larceny, burglary and shoplifting, which are considered petty crimes.

Ibarra murdered Riley less than six months after Georgia police arrested him for shoplifting. He was already wanted for skipping his shoplifting trial.

Ibarra is not the only illegal immigrant to commit petty crimes before violent ones. Rafael Romero was on probation for theft in Texas before he stalked and murdered 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina. DNA left at a burglary and home invasion in California led police to Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, the man who allegedly murdered Rachel Morin.

Support for the law transcends political parties and stereotypes. Senator Ruben Gallego, a child of immigrants and one of 12 Democrats who helped pass the Laken Riley Act, told Politico:

I’m bring the perspective of working-class Latinos from Arizona. And that perspective, I think, has been missing…[They] want more Border Patrol, they want more border investments and enforcement…and they also want immigration reform.

The Daily Citizen will continue reporting this developing story. You can read more about Laken Riley and the ways illegal immigration harms children and families in the articles below.

Additional Articles and Resources

American Immigration System Loses Contact with Tens of Thousands of Migrant Children

Nonbinary Nonsense: HHS Proposes Rule Making It Harder to Care for Migrant Children

Laken Riley Murdered After Killer Took Taxpayer-Funded Flight

Illegal Immigrant to Appear in Court for Death of Texas Teen, Illustrates Violent Trend

Illegal Immigrant Arrested in Murder of Maryland Mom

Laken Riley Act Introduced in Senate

Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration

Familial DNA Testing on the Southern Border Shouldn’t Have Ended

The Border Crisis and the Deafening Silence of Women’s Groups

MSNBC Backlash: Outlet Changes Title Sympathizing with Laken Riley’s Killer

MSNBC changed the title of one of its opinion articles late last week after readers accused the network of sympathizing with Laken Riley’s killer. The controversy bodes ill for the floundering outlet, which Comcast has announced it will spin off into a different company.

A Georgia judge convicted Jose Ibarra Wednesday for the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, finding Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence.

Ibarra was subsequently sentenced to life without parole.

In response, MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos penned an opinion piece entitled, “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance — For all the political controversy surrounding Jose Ibarra, the outcome of this trial was never in doubt.”

Readers subsequently accused the defense lawyer of implying Ibarra had been railroaded.

The backlash was warranted. Cevallos’ use of the phrase “never stood a chance” suggests Ibarra was unfairly deprived of the chance to be acquitted. His assertion that “the outcome of this trial was never in doubt” likewise implies Judge Patrick Haggard found Ibarra guilty before hearing the evidence.

This insinuation is not based in fact. The prosecution presented nigh irrefutable evidence tying Ibarra to Riley’s brutal murder, including,

  • Ibarra’s fingerprints on Riley’s phone, presumably from when he ended her call to 911.
  • Ibarra’s DNA under Riley’s fingernails, corresponding to scratches on Ibarra’s hands, arms and neck.
  • Surveillance footage showing Ibarra throw a jacket in a dumpster. Investigators found Riley’s hair and blood on the jacket.
  • Surveillance footage showing Ibarra trying to break into another student’s apartment just two hours before he attacked Riley.

MSNBC found Cevallos’ original title similarly indefensible. It quickly replaced it with, “The guilt of Laken Riley’s killer was never in doubt — For all the controversy surrounding Jose Ibarra, the case against him was always a simple one.”

The new title is marginally better, but still bizarrely ambiguous. It could imply that the prosecution’s evidence was insurmountable. It could also imply what the original title did — that Jose Ibarra did not receive a fair trial. 

Cevallos’ equivocation clouds an otherwise simple piece. He posits that the defense waived Ibarra’s right to a jury trial because the case couldn’t be won. At times, Cevallos seems to acknowledge that the evidence against Ibarra made the case unwinnable. He addresses Laken Riley as a victim. He commends the defense for conserving the state’s resources.

But he also includes several comments seeming to impugn Judge Haggard’s decision to sentence Ibarra to life in prison.

Acknowledging the defense’s case had little chance against a jury, Cevallos wrote, “But apparently [the case] had no chance with the judge, either, since he was convicted anyway.” This sentence implies, as the original title did, that Haggard had decided to convict Ibarra before he analyzed the evidence.

If Cevallos had agreed with the sentencing, he wouldn’t have included a comment about Haggard “cutting [Ibarra] no breaks.” Similarly, if Cevallos believed the judge was on the up-and-up, he wouldn’t have started a description of Haggard’s narrow sentencing options with, “In fairness” — a phrase that signals a coming counterargument to an initially negative assessment.

It bears repeating — Cevallos’ veiled insinuations are not based in fact. The prosecution presented a preponderance of evidence tying Ibarra to Riley’s murder. The brutality of the crime and Ibarra’s criminal record and gang affiliations explain Haggard’s sentencing choices.

Cevallos is certainly entitled to his point of view, but journalistic outlets generally don’t platform unsupported opinions — or hire their writers as legal analysts.

Regardless, MSNBC can’t afford another controversy following Comcast’s decision to spin them into a new company, along with USA Network, CNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and the Golf Channel. Comcast maintains the move will allow the ousted networks more room to grow, but staffers aren’t so sure. The spin off effectively de-links MSNBC from NBC, giving showrunners freedom to change the network’s editorial direction.

Comcast has not yet announced how NBC’s resources will be split among the departing affiliates. Nor has the cable juggernaut signaled willingness to sell MSNBC, despite high-profile offers from billionaires like Elon Musk.

MSNBC’s fate may be up in the air, but one thing’s for sure — sympathizing with a convicted killer won’t win them any public support. The network must seriously evaluate the analysis it chooses to platform, or risk losing the platform altogether.

Additional Articles and Resources

Laken Riley Murdered After Killer Took Taxpayer-Funded Flight

Violent Gang Takes Advantage of American Immigration Policy

Debate Over Immigration Labels Obscures Seriousness of Laken Riley’s Death

Illegal Immigrant to Appear in Court for Death of Texas Teen, Illustrates Violent Trend

Illegal Immigrant Arrested in Murder of Maryland Mom

Laken Riley Act Introduced in Senate

Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration

Familial DNA Testing on the Southern Border Shouldn’t Have Ended

The Border Crisis and the Deafening Silence of Women’s Groups

Nonbinary Nonsense: HHS Proposes Rule Making It Harder to Care for Migrant Children

A proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would allow caseworkers to identify unaccompanied migrant children as “nonbinary.” The change would make it harder for HHS to keep track of vulnerable arrivals — a job it already struggles to do.

The proposal would expand gender designations in child advocacy paperwork to include “nonbinary,” in addition to male and female. HHS claims the revision will help officers better care for unaccompanied minor children.

But this change doesn’t improve HHS’ care — it just endangers the children in it’s custody.

First of all, allowing vulnerable children to identify as “nonbinary” is not compassionate or caring. Introducing and affirming gender confusion ensures kids will feel uncomfortable or trapped in their sexed body.  Some will go on to receive opposite-sex hormones, “puberty blockers” and transgender surgeries, which wreak irreversible havoc on the body and provide no mental health benefits.

In a comment opposing the rule change, Americans Advancing Freedom (AAF) claims HHS could incentivize unaccompanied migrant children to identify as nonbinary:

Introducing such children to the concept [of a third gender], which is likely much less common in many of the countries they are fleeing, may actively encourage them to adopt such an identity in hopes that it could give them a “special” advantage to staying in the United States.

In turn, AAF says HHS employees could push nonbinary-identified children toward transgender medical interventions.

The proposal’s nonsensical endorsement of a third gender is harmful, but not surprising. HHS has been pushing gender ideology for years. What is surprising, however, is how blatantly it prioritizes ideologies over the individuals it swears to protect.

HHS places unaccompanied migrant children with American sponsors after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) releases them. When a child has been with a sponsor for a month, HHS is supposed to call them and confirm their wellbeing.

HHS failed to reach 85,000 children for these phone calls between 2021 and 2023, The New York Times reports, finding the agency “lost immediate contact” with a third of the kids it had placed with sponsors.

HHS’ top priority should be recovering the tens of thousands of children it lost and preventing it from happening again. Instead, it has spent time and manpower drafting a paperwork proposal making it even harder to identify children who slip through the cracks.

Law enforcement can’t identify missing children without knowing their biological sex.

Compassionate immigration policy requires prioritizing the physical and mental safety of unaccompanied migrant children over nonexistent gender labels. Until HHS prioritizes people over politically correct paperwork, ideology will continue to outrank the children the agency claims to protect.

Additional Articles and Resources

American Immigration System Loses Contact with Tens of Thousands of Migrant Children

Familial DNA Testing on the Southern Border Shouldn’t Have Ended

Doctor Refuses to Publish Major Study Finding Puberty-Blocking Drugs Don’t Help Children

‘Trust the Science’ About ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’ What Science?

American Society of Plastic Surgeons Backs Away From Supporting ‘Transgender’ Surgeries

U.K.’s Review of Child Gender Policy Reveals Profound Failures That U.S. Still Defends

The WPATH Files Exposes ‘Surgical and Hormonal Experiments on Children’

The WPATH Files – Transgender Interventions Are ‘Unethical Medical Experiments’

Laken Riley Murdered After Killer Took Taxpayer-Funded Flight

Laken Riley’s killer will spend the rest of his life in prison, a Georgia judge ruled Wednesday, after convicting him of murder, kidnapping and assault.

Police arrested 26-year-old Jose Ibarra for murder on February 23, a day after discovering the 22-year-old nursing student beaten to death behind the University of Georgia. She had gone missing after her morning run.

Riley’s brutal death became a rallying cry for immigration reform when authorities revealed Ibarra had no reason to be in America. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detained Ibarra for entering the country illegally in 2022 but released him to await immigration trial. Rumored to be a member of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang, Ibarra committed crimes in New York and Georgia before brutalizing Riley.

Brutal — there’s no better word to describe his actions. An autopsy confirmed Riley had been dragged into the woods and beaten to death with a rock. Heartrate data from the young woman’s smart watch indicates she fought her attacker for 18 minutes before succumbing to her injuries.

Ibarra’s DNA was found under Riley’s fingernails, corresponding to deep scratches observed on Ibarra’s arms, hands and neck. Investigators discovered his fingerprints on Riley’s phone and surveillance cameras captured him disposing of a jacket with Riley’s blood and hair on it.

After closing arguments, Judge Patrick Haggard found Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence. Ibarra had waived his right to a trial by jury.

Haggard also hit Ibarra with a “Peeping Tom” charge for video evidence showing him trying to break into another student’s apartment just two hours before he attacked Riley.

The prosecution presented persuasive evidence that Ibarra murdered Riley. But trial testimony also revealed new ways authorities grossly enabled Ibarra’s criminal behavior.

Rosebeli Flores-Bello, one of Ibarra’s former roommates, testified that she and Ibarra had traveled from New York to Georgia with a free plane ticket courtesy of New York City — i.e.,  taxpayers.

NYC offers migrants free transportation to the destination of their choice through its “reticketing center.” Flores-Bello claimed she and Ibarra were granted one of these “humanitarian flights” in September 2023 — just one month after New York police charged Ibarra with reckless endangerment of a child.

When an illegal immigrant commits a criminal offense, police can “lodge a detainer,” or transfer custody of the offender to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. New York police should have lodged a detainer on Ibarra in August 2023. Instead, the city bought him a free plane ticket to the state where he would later commit murder.

New York officials didn’t publicly admit to “relocating” illegal immigrants with government money until a month after it bankrolled Ibarra, and only when a Politico exposé forced them to come clean. Additional digging by outlets like the New York Post revealed the city had been operating reticketing since spring 2022.

Since then, the New York City Mayor’s office claims NYC has provided more than 47,000 illegal immigrants with free transportation — more than 20% of the total number of illegal immigrants the city has hosted.

“Reticketing” fees cost the city $7.6 million in two years, one source told the Post in March. Eight months later, the program has likely cost taxpayers another $2.5 million.

Its unclear, however, exactly which taxpayers are footing the bill. The Post claims NYC uses its federal grants, totaling $156 million, to fund the program. Adams and other state officials do not specify what money pays for the tickets — only that illegal immigrants don’t pay.

Whether New Yorkers or all Americans footed the bill, New York city used hard earned money to transport a known criminal and gang member to a state where he murdered a 22-year-old girl. Now, taxpayers will pay for his life-long incarceration.

In this sad tale, elected leaders and law enforcement failed everyone except Jose Ibarra.

Additional Articles and Resources

Debate Over Immigration Labels Obscures Seriousness of Laken Riley’s Death

Illegal Immigrant to Appear in Court for Death of Texas Teen, Illustrates Violent Trend

Illegal Immigrant Arrested in Murder of Maryland Mom

Laken Riley Act Introduced in Senate

Talking to Your Kids About Illegal Immigration

Familial DNA Testing on the Southern Border Shouldn’t Have Ended

The Border Crisis and the Deafening Silence of Women’s Groups