On Sunday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the man suspected of murdering an American college student is an illegal alien from Venezuela, who had previously been apprehended after crossing the border but was released due to the Biden Administration’s open-border policies.
According to Just The News, the suspect’s name is Jose Ibarra, and he is 26 years old. He had been arrested in September of 2022 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), but was subsequently “paroled and released for further processing.” He was arrested one year later, in September of 2023, and charged with a motor vehicle license violation as well as acting in a manner to injure a child under the age of 17. Before a detainer could be issued, Ibarra was released by New York City authorities due to the city’s sanctuary status.
Ibarra’s most recent arrest follows the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, a nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Friday. Ibarra is the prime suspect in her murder, which occurred while she was out for a jog.
The murder has drawn widespread backlash and renewed criticism of Biden’s open-border policies, with many Republicans pointing out that Riley would still be alive if the border had been enforced.
“Ibarra is an illegal alien and murdered a young woman the age of my own children,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in a post on X. “Deportation is not enough. He deserves the death penalty.”
The Associated Press also faced backlash and mockery after its article on the story claimed that the real danger as a result of Riley’s murder was “the dangers female runners face” when going on solo activities.
Laken Riley is the latest prominent example of an American citizen murdered by an illegal alien who, under proper border and immigration enforcement, would never have been allowed in the country. Others include Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa and Kate Steinle in California.