House Republicans are broadening their inquiry related to Jose Antonio Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, seeking information on encounters between federal officials and the alleged killer’s brothers.
Authorities detained Jose Antonio Ibarra after Riley, a 22-year-old student at Augusta University, was found dead last month at the University of Georgia in Athens with blunt force trauma. Jose Antonio Ibarra faces charges for murder, assault, and more in connection to the killing and he is seeking a jury trial.
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) made the demand for information on Jose Antonio Ibarra’s brothers in a new letter sent on Monday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who faces the prospect of a Senate trial after the GOP-led House impeached him over the handling of the border crisis.
The lawmakers said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acknowledged that Ibarra’s brothers, Diego and Argenis Ibarra, entered the United States illegally through Eagle Pass, Texas, in April of 2023 and, although the siblings were “expelled” by Border Patrol agents pursuant to Title 42 authorities, they re-entered the country illegally a couple of weeks later.
“Despite attempting to bite a Border Patrol agent, Diego Ibarra was subsequently released on Alternatives to Detention (ATD) by ICE,” Jordan and McClintock wrote. “Argenis Ibarra was released by ICE with a notice to appear in immigration court.”
The lawmakers said, “Since his release, Diego Ibarra’s interactions with U.S. law enforcement officials reportedly include arrests for ‘failure to appear for a fingerprintable offense,’ driving under the influence, ‘speeding, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, possession of an open container of alcohol, driving without a license,’ shoplifting, as well as a visit from police during which Diego Ibarra was accused of slapping his girlfriend in the face.”
They added, “According to authorities, Diego Ibarra, like his brother Jose, ‘appears to be affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang.’ He was most recently arrested as police in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, were searching for Riley’s murderer, after he produced a fake green card when asked for identification. Argenis Ibarra was encountered by ICE on February 23, 2024, in Athens, Georgia, while ICE was ‘assisting the University of Georgia Police Department with their investigation into the murder of Laken Riley.’”
That same day, the Department of Justice announced that Diego Ibarra was detained and charged with possessing a fake green card.
Jordan and McClintock previously demanded Mayorkas provide details on Jose Antonio Ibarra, noting his prior run-ins with federal and local law enforcement. They asked for case history information on Jose Antonio Ibarra, details on all of his entries into the United States, information about his processing by Customs and Border Protection officials, and whether ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him.
The lawmakers are now seeking the same information on Diego and Argenis Ibarra, as well as ATD details with a deadline of 5 p.m. on April 1.
“Criminal aliens exploit vulnerabilities in our nation’s immigration system to the detriment of those in the United States,” Jordan and McClintock wrote. “The Biden Administration’s border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S.”
