Mollie Tibbetts' father says leave our daughter out of your immigration debate
DES MOINES, Iowa As he watched a memorial service for U.S. Sen. John McCain, Rob Tibbetts remembered how people across the country rallied behind his family for most of the summer as they followed the search for his daughter, Mollie.
He sensed that spirit of unity again as people from across the political spectrum came together for the longtime senator, in an effort that transcended their diverse opinions.
After his daughters body was found and a man authorities say is an undocumented immigrant was charged with murder, some politicians immediately used Mollie's killing as a rallying cry for tougher immigration laws.
Rob Tibbetts wants people to know his family does not want to be featured in that cause, he wrote in a column he shared exclusively with the Des Moines Register on Friday.
While national news outlets continue to call him and send fruit baskets and describe Mollie as an "inspiration to the world," Tibbetts and his family just want to be left alone.
We want Mollie to die with dignity, he said.
In an interview with the Des Moines Register about the column, Tibbetts said his family has spent a lot of time in the last 11 days trying to get pundits, journalists and strangers to stop using the 20-year-old college student's death to advance a cause he said she "vehemently opposed."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mollie-tibbetts-father-says-leave-our-daughter-out-of-your-immigration-debate/ar-BBMKtf2?li=BBnb7Kz