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Editor’s note: A Georgia judge on Wednesday morning found Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela, guilty on all 10 counts in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley. Ibarra, who faces life in prison, waived his right to a jury trial.

The trial of the man accused of brutally murdering 22-year-old Laken Riley serves as a harrowing reminder of the failures of the criminal justice and immigration systems. Those systems, if they operate as they should, protect the most vulnerable among us.

Laken should be alive today, but a combination of misguided policies and systemic failures led to this preventable tragedy. Every layer of governance that was supposed to safeguard Laken and countless others failed us, especially our daughters who deserve to feel safe on college campuses.

We need to get back to basics and common sense so that this type of nightmare doesn’t happen again. Let’s look at three major problems. 

First and foremost, we must address the issue of open borders. The monster charged with Laken’s murder, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, should never have been granted entry into this country in the first place.

Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela, shouldn’t have been released by authorities after he committed crimes before Laken’s murder. Who in their right mind thought that was a good idea?

Second, we need to acknowledge and admit that the Left’s version of “bail reform” has been, and continues to be, an abject failure. It has only endangered residents in America’s largest cities.

Ibarra had been arrested on two felony charges—one for operating a scooter without a license and the other for endangering the welfare of a minor. 

These charges alone should have prompted a more serious scrutiny of the risk he posed to others, notwithstanding the fact that he was in this country illegally.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, a Democrat, had the opportunity to hold Ibarra accountable. Yet due to New York’s bail reform laws, Ibarra was issued “desk appearance” tickets, which made it easier for prosecution to be declined.  

At the very least, Ibarra should have been prosecuted for operating a scooter without a license, which has been a major quality-of-life issue for Katz’s constituents. It is vital that we demand accountability from our prosecutors, who are elected to uphold the law.

When Ibarra received a mere citation for stealing in Athens, which meant there was no one monitoring his compliance with the conditions of his release due to the absence of secured bail.

What kind of bail reform is that, when a person such as Ibarra is allowed to roam free and hunt innocent victims? No bail, no bail agent, no accountability.

Third, we need to confront the fact that George Soros-financed “progressive” prosecutors have become a cancer on the body politic.

The movement, exposed by Heritage Foundation scholars and former prosecutors Cully Stimson and Zack Smith in their must-read book “Rogue Prosecutors,” has been the most dangerous social experiment unleased on society in modern times. 

The image of Laken Riley’s mother sitting in court, grappling with the evidence of her daughter’s horrific murder, should stir a deep sense of urgency within all of us. How many more lives must be lost before we take a stand against the policies that put our daughters in jeopardy? That endangers each and every one of us?

Knowing the nation’s borders will be secure through the incoming Trump administration, we must consider how to implement safeguards in cities and states that embrace reckless policies driven by the far Left.

The solutions are kindergarten simple. The next attorney general of the United States must enforce the country’s criminal laws at the federal level, encourage the 2,300 elected district attorneys to do so at the local level, and put the needs of victims first. Period. 

America’s next attorney general must visit the crime-ridden cesspools of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and other places that have Soros-funded rogue prosecutors and call them out by name.

He needs to unleash his U.S. attorneys on those cities, directing them to prosecute every single felon in possession of a firearm and to work closely with immigration authorities to ensure that convicted criminal aliens are deported promptly from our country.  He needs to stand by victims and victims’ rights organizations and never waiver.     

We need leaders who are willing to fight for justice and ensure that our legal system serves the interests of the community rather than coddles criminals.

In the current landscape of our justice system, an alarming disparity exists between the rights of victims and the rights of criminals. Victims of crime should have an equally robust mechanism to voice their grievances and seek justice when they feel wronged by the system. Yet, as it stands, such a platform is largely absent, leaving individuals and families to navigate their trauma without the support they deserve.

When a district attorney chooses not to prosecute a case, or when a judge releases a dangerous individual who subsequently commits further violence, victims find themselves in a position of vulnerability. They are left to pick up the pieces while the very systems designed to protect them fail. This is a profound injustice that must be addressed.

In stark contrast, criminals have the ability to appeal convictions, challenge evidence, and contest the actions of law enforcement and the judiciary. This imbalance raises critical questions: Why do victims lack a similar avenue for redress? Why are their concerns brushed aside, while offenders get multiple opportunities to fight against the consequences of their actions?

As we reflect on the tragic case of Laken Riley, let us not forget that the fight for accountability and reform is also about the safety and well-being of the broader community.

We must advocate policies that prioritize public safety, hold perpetrators accountable, and ensure that our legal system is equipped to protect those who are most vulnerable. The time for change is now, and it’s our collective responsibility to ensure that tragedies such as Laken’s never happen again.

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