President-elect Donald Trump will get illegal immigrants with criminal records, including Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, out quickly, Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, told Newsmax.
"Here is an illegal immigrant who committed a heinous crime, and now he wants a retrial because he didn't get his way. In fact, he got a strong punishment," De La Cruz said Thursday on "National Report."
"And guess what? The American taxpayer has not only paid for airfare to his destination when he first crossed illegally. Not only did they give him a cellphone and a debit card, not only did they pay for a defense lawyer, but now they're going to have to pay for a new trial for him. It's absolutely ridiculous," she added.
Trump "wants these criminals deported, and I believe that President Trump will be the voice to tell Venezuela, 'You do not have a choice. You will take these criminals back,'" she said.
"And that's why he was elected — because Americans are confident. He has a term already previously where he stood for strong immigration. And I believe that he will get these criminals out quickly. And he won't give countries like Venezuela a choice. They will have to take these criminals back."
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard found Jose Ibarra guilty of murder and other charges in the February killing. Ibarra, 26, had waived his right to a jury trial, meaning Haggard heard and decided the case.
Attorneys for Jose Ibarra on Monday filed a motion for a new trial. The filing says the verdict is "contrary to law" and "contrary to the evidence," and that the court "committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial." The lawyers didn't elaborate, but they wrote that Ibarra reserves the right to supplement the motion "after a full and thorough view of the facts and circumstances attendant to the trial of this case."
The killing became a flash point in the national debate about immigration during this year's presidential campaign. Federal immigration authorities said after Ibarra's arrest that he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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