(DailyAnswer.org) – The suspect charged with the murder of a Georgia student on campus at the University of Georgia has been confirmed as a Venezuelan illegal immigrant. 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra is charged with murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley.
The Venezuelan illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. Ibarra was released into the U.S. via parole, according to three ICE & DHS sources. Jeffrey L. Clarke, the UGA Police Chief, stated in a news briefing after the suspect’s arrest on February 23 that Ibarra has been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, felony murder, malice murder, concealing a death, and impeding a 911 call.
Ibarra was arrested in September 2023 for endangering a child. In the incident, New York City cops arrested Ibarra for acting in a way to injure a minor and for a violation relating to his vehicle license. The NYPD reportedly released him before a detainer could be issued. New York City’s role as a Democrat-run “sanctuary city” also limits law enforcement in their capacity to comply with ICE detainers.
After a friend informed police that Riley had not returned from a run, her body was found in a wooded area on the Athens campus. Clarke confirmed that the victim died from blunt force trauma. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court denied Ibarra bail, and the ICE has requested to detain the suspect in the event of his release to arrange his deportation. As the student’s killing further fuels the U.S. debate on immigration and President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border crisis, former president Donald Trump blamed Biden’s immigration policies for the student’s murder. Trump referred to the border crisis under Biden as an “invasion” and said the killing should never have happened.
After initially considering 3-4 suspects in the early stages of the investigation, police have only arrested and charged Ibarra over the murder. The Department of Justice also arrested the suspect’s brother, Diego, and charged him with possessing a fraudulent green card. Democratic California Representative Katie Porter commented that the student’s murder should “not shape immigration policy.” She argued that one incident shouldn’t shape the many facets of immigration policy as a whole and that economic choices and the potential for workers to create prosperity in the U.S. should be considered.
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