Trump blames immigration laws for Iowa student's murder

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The arrest of a man who US authorities have said is an illegal immigrant on charges of murdering an Iowa college student has thrust the case into the debate on immigration policy, with President Donald Trump blaming Mollie Tibbetts’ death on weak laws.

Christhian Rivera, 24, was arrested and charged on Monday with the murder of 20-year-old Tibbetts, who disappeared in July while out jogging. A woman’s body has been found but has not yet been positively identified, authorities have said.

Law enforcement officials told reporters on Monday that Rivera was Mexican and in the country illegally. However, his defense lawyer said in a court filing on Wednesday that Rivera had legal status.

Cristhian Rivera, 24, accused of killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, is led from the courtroom after making his initial appearance on a charge of first-degree murder at the Poweshiek County Courthouse in Montezuma, Iowa, August 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Trump, who has taken a tough stance on immigration and referred to some Mexican migrants as criminals and rapists in his 2016 election campaign, made a reference to the Tibbetts case at a rally in West Virginia on Tuesday.

“It should never have happened,” said Trump. “The immigration laws are such a disgrace.”

The political fallout from the killing could reverberate across Iowa, a swing state that has a hotly contested gubernatorial race and where Democrats see a chance at taking two of the 23 seats they need to win back from Republicans in November’s midterms to gain a majority in the House of Representatives.

Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds echoed Trump’s approach, blaming Tibbetts’ death on the nation’s immigration laws.

“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,” she said in a Tuesday statement.

Friends and family of Mollie Tibbetts attend a news conference in Montezuma, Iowa, August 21, 2018. /AP Photo

Republican lawmakers Rod Blum and David Young each issued statements expressing sympathy for the Tibbetts family but avoided any mention of illegal immigration.

Christopher Peters, a Republican mounting a long-shot challenge to Iowa Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack, said on Facebook that politicizing Tibbetts’ murder “cheapens the death of this young woman.”

“Yes, our immigration system is broken, and Congress has failed to fix it,” Peters wrote. “There is much we can and must do. For now, though, we should mourn the loss of Mollie.”

Several residents of Brooklyn, Iowa, where Tibbetts lived, expressed sadness at how quickly her death had become a political talking point.

“I wish Trump had not made this political,” said Janice, a 60-year-old waitress at the Classic Deli, who declined to give her last name. “The family just wants to heal. I have a farm with Mexican immigrants, and I never felt afraid.”

(Cover: A poster for missing student Mollie Tibbetts is seen in Brooklyn, Iowa, August 21, 2018. /AP Photo)

Source(s): Reuters