DES MOINES, Iowa – A court document filed Wednesday morning 
states that the man accused of killing a 20-year-old University 
of Iowa student was working legally in Iowa.
Cristhian Rivera was charged Tuesday in the July 18 
disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts.
Law enforcement officials Tuesday said he was an undocumented 
immigrant, which immediately fueled political debate, including 
comments from President Donald Trump and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also filed a detainer 
to make sure Rivera, 24, was not released. He is being held on a 
$1 million cash bond. A preliminary hearing on the murder charge 
was scheduled for Aug. 31.
A document filed by Rivera's attorney Wednesday calls into 
question Rivera's immigration status.
The government is incorrectly promoting the idea that Rivera is 
not in Iowa legally, attorney Allen Richards said in a court 
document asking for a gag order in the case.
"Sad and sorry Trump has weighed in on this matter in national 
media which will poison the entire possible pool of jury 
members," Richards wrote, referencing a statement from the 
president citing Tibbetts' death as an example why "immigration 
laws are such a disgrace."
Rivera has lived in Iowa for four to seven years, working at 
Yarrabee Farms, a Brooklyn, Iowa-area farm owned by the family 
of Craig Lang, a prominent Iowa Republican.
Craig Lang has verified that Rivera is in Iowa legally, 
according to Richards' motion.
"Craig Lang supports Cristhian’s right to be in this 
jurisdiction and for the government to support any other idea of 
status publicly flies in the face of such statement," Richards 
wrote." Cristhian deserves the court’s protection as to his 
characterization before a jury pool."
A Poweshiek District Court Judge on Wednesday denied the gag 
order request.
The White House tweeted about the murder during the Wednesday 
hearing. The White House post included video testimony of family 
members in other cases whose loved ones were killed by “repeat 
illegal alien” criminals.
During Tuesday's news conference, law enforcement officials 
described Rivera as an "undocumented immigrant."
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch 
Mortvedt on Wednesday deferred questions about the matter to 
federal officials.
“What we based everything off of as far as saying he is an 
illegal alien is we worked with Homeland Security Investigations 
and they have him as an illegal alien,” Mortvedt said. “DCI 
doesn’t work immigration stuff so anytime this stuff comes up we 
defer to them.”
Shawn Neudauer, a spokesman for the federal investigations 
agency, could not be immediately reached Wednesday. It remains 
unclear what – if any – specific documentation Rivera may have 
had to live and work in Iowa.
Yarrabee Farms, Rivera’s employer, issued a statement Tuesday 
night saying Rivera was vetted through the government's E-Verify 
system. However, a government archive does not indicate the 
Brooklyn, Iowa, farm as a participating member of the system.
On Wednesday, officials from the farm acknowledged they did not 
use the E-Verify system and that Rivera gave them false 
information.
Dane Lang is the son of Craig Lang, the former president of both 
the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Board of Regents 
and a 2018 Republican candidate for state secretary of 
agriculture. Documents immediately reviewed by the Des Moines 
Register listed several owners of Yarrabee Farms, including Dane 
Lang and Eric Lang, Craig's brother.
On Tuesday, authorities said they found a body in a cornfield 
that they tentatively identified as Tibbetts', based on clothing 
found at the scene, according to a criminal complaint.
Rivera who resides in rural Poweshiek County, Iowa, was charged 
Tuesday with first-degree murder in the alleged abduction and 
death of Tibbetts, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal 
Investigation.
In the wake of Rivera's arrest, Republicans, including Trump and 
Reynolds, railed against the country's immigration system.
Trump alluded to the case at a rally in West Virginia on 
Tuesday: “You heard about today with the illegal alien coming 
in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that 
incredible, beautiful young woman,” he said, shaking his head. 
“Should’ve never happened.”
Tibbetts was last seen on surveillance footage the night of July 
18 running along Boundary and Middle Streets in her hometown 
Brooklyn, Iowa, about 70 miles east of Des Moines. Rivera 
allegedly followed her in a black Chevy Malibu.
Rivera parked his car and started running alongside and behind 
Tibbetts. She pulled out a cellphone and said she would call the 
police. Rivera told police he panicked and got mad, and then 
"blocked" his memory, becoming aware while at the driveway of a 
cornfield that he had placed a woman in his trunk, according to 
a criminal complaint.
Rivera dragged the woman to an isolated area in the cornfield, 
he told police, then covered her body with corn leaves and drove 
away. After officials identified his vehicle in surveillance 
footage, he complied with law enforcement and led them to the 
body.
On Wednesday, Tibbetts' family released a statement through the 
Iowa Department of Public Safety that said in part, "Our hearts 
are broken. On behalf of Mollie’s entire family, we thank all of 
those from around the world who have sent their thoughts and 
prayers for our girl.  We know that many of you will join us as 
we continue to carry Mollie in our hearts forever."
The family asked to be allowed to grieve in private.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/22/mollie-
tibbetts-undocumented-immigrant-suspect/1060204002/