Poor border security led to a French Quarter tour guide's death last month: that's the claim Governor Jeff Landry made in a social media post on Wednesday.
This man should have never been in Louisiana. Enough is enough. We must close our borders and keep our communities safe!
Landry cited a television news report when he made his statement on Twitter on Wednesday. That report named one of the teenaged suspects accused of murdering Kristie Thibodeaux as a 19-year-old Honduran citizen who entered the United States illegally. The TV report cites Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who also reportedly said that the suspect had run-ins with Border Patrol agents in Texas in 2019 and with Kenner police in October 2023 and February 2024.
Our partners at WWL-TV identify that suspect as Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio. WWL-TV also reports that ICE officials told them that Aviala-Bonifacio entered the country illegally.
Thibodeaux was shot and killed in her car in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 23. Aviala-Bonifacio and Jerben Albarec, 17, are facing second-degree murder charges in connection with Thibodeaux's death. An unidentified 15-year-old is also in custody in connection with the murder.
Landry's Tweet is his latest statement against what he calls President Biden's weak border security measures. Earlier this month, Landry extended the Louisiana National Guard's tour of duty along the Texas/Mexico border to assist Texas authorities in their effort to keep undocumented migrants from entering the United States illegally. That mission is now set to end in November.
