Sen. Elizabeth Warren is sorry that a 20-year-old Iowa student 
is dead and that a reported illegal alien has been charged in 
the killing, but the Massachusetts Democrat wants to stay 
focused on the “real problems.”
This isn’t a paraphrase of something she said Wednesday on CNN. 
This is her actual response to a question about reports that law 
enforcement agents have charged Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, in 
the disappearance and murder of Mollie Tibbetts.
“I’m so sorry for the family here, and I know this is hard, not 
only for the family, but for the people in her community, the 
people throughout Iowa,” Warren told CNN’s John Berman. “But one 
of the things we have to remember is: We need an immigration 
system that is effective. That focuses on where real problems 
are.”
Berman asking the senator specifically to respond to President 
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence claiming the Tibbetts murder 
is proof of the need for stronger immigration enforcement.
Warren continued, saying, "Uh, last month, I went down to the 
border, and I saw where children had been taken away from their 
mothers. I met with those mothers, who had been lied to, who 
didn’t know where their children were, who hadn’t had a chance 
to talk to their children. And there was no plan for how they’d 
be reunified with their children."
Tibbetts' remains were found early Tuesday morning, according to 
law enforcement officials. Rivera, who authorities believe has 
been living in the U.S. illegally for four to seven years, has 
been charged with first-degree murder. His bail was set Tuesday 
at $1 million.
“I think we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose 
a real threat, and I don’t think mammas and babies are the place 
where we should be spending our resources. Separating a mamma 
from a baby does not make this country safe,” Warren said.
Trump signed an executive order on June 20 reversing the policy 
of separating illegal immigrant families. And as to the issue of 
mothers being separated from their babies, I think Tibbetts’ 
mother, Laura Calderwood, might have some thoughts on that.
The Washington Examiner’s Phil Klein disagreed Wednesday with 
the criticisms of Warren, arguing the Massachusetts senator had 
not really stepped in it with “outrageously tone-deaf” comment.
“I'm no Warren fan, but this strikes me as a stretch. In clip 
she goes on to say we need to focus on actual threats, and that 
family separation doesn't make us safe," he wrote. "She isn't 
saying that a young girl getting killed isn't a problem.”
I disagree that the negative reaction is a stretch. The 
criticisms are well-deserved. Her comments follow a clear path. 
She starts by saying she’s sorry about the Tibbetts murder, and 
then changes the subject to attack Trump over an immigration 
policy he rescinded two months ago.
It’s true Warren's remarks were about the White House’s response 
to the murder. That doesn’t take away from the “but” in her “I’m 
sorry someone is dead” response. There should never be a "but" 
in those statements.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/elizabeth-warren-on-
the-tibbetts-murder-sad-shes-dead-but-we-have-to-remember-we-
need-an-immigration-system-that-focuses-on-where-real-problems-
are