The suspect behind the killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, has been identified as an illegal alien from Venezuela.
26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody, according to several ICE and DHS sources.
NEW: Per three ICE & DHS sources to me & @GriffJenkins, Jose Antonio Ibarra, the suspect charged in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, is a Venezuelan national who crossed illegally into El Paso, TX in September 2022 & was released into the U.S. via parole.
We reached… pic.twitter.com/A5Ytc7tAzl— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 24, 2024
From National Review:
Riley, who studied nursing at Augusta University on its campus in Athens, Ga., was found dead near a lake at UGA mid-day Thursday with “visible injuries,” UGA police chief Jeff Clark told reporters. Officers located her body after a concerned friend called the police when she didn’t return from a run in the area. Riley graduated from UGA in 2023 and continued her education at Augusta’s College of Nursing in Athens, where both schools are located.
The city of Athens-Clarke County is one of four sanctuary cities in Georgia, allowing illegal immigrants to seek refuge within its borders. Atlanta, Clarkston, and Decatur are also designated as sanctuary cities in the state.
Authorities said Ibarra did not attend UGA, but worked as a dishwasher on campus, and did not know Riley, calling her slaying a “crime of opportunity.”
Ibarra was arrested on Friday, and was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra will remain in the Clarke County jail after Judge Donarell Green denied his bond on Saturday.
The news an illegal alien was reportedly behind Riley’s murder sparked outrage among conservatives.
“Every parent, and every American, is saddened—and outraged—to hear about the loss of University of Georgia student Laken Riley. Our prayers are with her family and friends as they mourn this tragedy. The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden Administration simply released and unleashed upon our country,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement Saturday.
Every parent, and every American, is saddened—and outraged—to hear about the loss of University of Georgia student Laken Riley. Our prayers are with her family and friends as they mourn this tragedy.
The brutal murderer who took the life of Laken was one of the millions of… https://t.co/rlNr9J6sU4
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 24, 2024
“For Laken, and the countless many others lost to this border catastrophe, House Republicans will continue to fight tooth and nail for a return to law and order. Mr. President, use your existing statutory authority and CLOSE THE BORDER!” he added.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called for the death penalty for Ibarra rather than deportation.
“Ibarra is an illegal alien and murdered a young woman the age of my own children. Deportation is not enough. He deserves the death penalty,” she wrote on X.
Ibarra is an illegal alien and murdered a young woman the age of my own children. Deportation is not enough. He deserves the death penalty.
“The man, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment,…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
(@RepMTG) February 24, 2024
Other conservative lawmakers and commentators piled on the outrage on social media.
Make no mistake — Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal immigrant that Biden let cross our border.
Instead of sending him back, Biden’s failed policies allowed him to be released into the country, where he murdered an innocent American girl.
The #BidenBorderCrisis must end. https://t.co/KYz01kL3GG
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) February 24, 2024
Biden has blood on his hands for the horrific murder of the student in Georgia.
Her death is directly linked to Biden’s policy to release, dangerous illegal immigrants into our country.
Biden must be held accountable for the slaughter of his fellow Americans. pic.twitter.com/PjPH91FrRX
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) February 25, 2024
An Illegal alien has brutally murdered a Nursing Student on UGA campus.
My boys went to UGA and the thought that something like this could and did happen is terrifying for all parents and the Athens community.
My heart breaks for Laken Riley’s family and I pray for Justice to… pic.twitter.com/Zd0GIyR6Od
— Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) February 24, 2024
Biden’s ICE (under Mayorkas’s DHS) on Laken Riley’s murder by an illegal Venezuelan national:
“No comment”. Pathetic and Infuriating https://t.co/OgwGb8pWLt
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) February 24, 2024
How many more young American girls need to be raped and killed by illegal immigrants before we stop allowing this insanity to continue?
Mollie Tibbets, Laken Riley, Kate Steinle and Lizbeth Medina would be alive if the government did their job.
Blood is on @TheDemocrats hands! pic.twitter.com/wF4h6WS39f
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 24, 2024
A 22-year-old woman getting murdered in broad daylight on one of the biggest college campuses in America, allegedly by an illegal immigrant who’d been detained by authorities multiple times already. That’s where we are now.
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) February 24, 2024
Notably, the Department of Justice also arrested and charged Ibarra’s 29-year-old brother, Diego Ibarra, for his possession of a fake green card on Friday.