A young nursing student, Laken Riley, 22, was brutally murdered Thursday on the University of Georgia campus by a migrant from Venezuela, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who'd entered the country illegally and had a criminal record.

Now several top Republicans are pointing to the White House and President Joe Biden's lax border security and immigration policies as bearing some responsibility for Ibarra's unjust taking of Riley's life, Fox News reported.

Those GOP critics essentially argued that had Biden simply enforced the multitude of border security and immigration laws that are already on the books, Ibarra would never have been allowed to enter the country and therefore would not have had the opportunity to murder Riley.

Illegal migrant charged with murder, other crimes

According to Fox News, citing multiple sources from the Department of Homeland Security plus Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, is believed to have illegally entered the country near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was subsequently processed and released into the interior on parole.

Less than a year and a half later, he is now charged with the brutal beating death of Riley, a former UGA student now enrolled as a nursing student at the nearby University of Augusta-Athens, who was out for a morning jog around the intramural fields on the UGA campus.

Local media outlet WSB-TV reported that Ibarra is now charged with "malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing."

His brother, Diego Ibarra, who is also believed to have entered the country illegally in 2023, was arrested and charged with possession of a fake green card. The outlet further reported that the brothers had both arrived in Georgia after fleeing New York, where both face other criminal charges.

Republicans blame Biden for Riley's death

In response to a reporter's story about how Ibarra had entered the country illegally but been released by authorities due to President Biden's weak border policies, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) posted a statement on social media and said, "Every parent, and every American, is saddened -- and outraged -- to hear about the loss of University of Georgia student Laken Riley."

"Our prayers are with her family and friends as they mourn this tragedy," he continued. "The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden Administration simply released and unleashed upon our country."

"For Laken, and the countless many others lost to this border catastrophe, House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order," Johnson added. "Mr. President, use your existing statutory authority and CLOSE THE BORDER!"

Also speaking out was Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who said in an X post, "Laken Riley's tragic death struck the hearts of Georgians everywhere and has sparked national outrage. Joe Biden's failed policies have turned every state into a border state, and I'm demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government won’t!"

Several other prominent House Republicans, from Georgia and beyond, joined the chorus of voices chastising President Biden for his dangerous and failed immigration policies, and some even went so far as to accuse him and his administration of having "blood on their hands."

Biden White House attempts to shift blame

As for Biden's White House, in typical fashion, they have sloughed off the criticism and attempted to shift the blame for Riley's murder back on Republicans by accusing them of refusing to support Biden's immigration reform plans -- plans that Republicans rightly rejected from the start as being insufficient to protect the nation's citizens and secure the borders.

How this tragic story, and potentially others like it that might arise in the coming months, plays out in this crucial election year could prove quite impactful in terms of negative repercussions and a loss of power for Biden and the Democrats.