UGA student murder suspect arrested last year in NYC, ICE says, despite NYPD claims
Investigation into murder of Laken Hope Riley
We are learning more about Jose Ibarra, the suspect arrested for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, a University of Georgia student who ICE says came to the U.S. illegally from Venezuela. Officials also say he was previously arrested in New York, but local officials have not confirmed that part of the story.
NEW YORK - Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement say that Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan migrant accused of murdering 22-year-old University of Georgia student Laken Hope Riley, had previously been arrested by the NYPD.
However, the NYPD is not confirming that part of the story, telling FOX 5 NY that they have no arrests on file for Ibarra.
ICE had said that Ibarra was arrested in September 2023 by the NYPD for "acting in a manner to injure a child," but was released before authorities could issue a detainer.
So far, ICE has not responded to requests for clarification.
Killing casts new focus on migrant crisis debate
The killing has revived a theme — migrants committing violent crimes — that is animating the 2024 elections as former President Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House. Trump famously launched his 2016 presidential bid with these words about Mexicans: "They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
The focus now is on migrants who have arrived in the country during the Biden administration, with Republicans blaming Biden for migrant flows even as Democrats attack Republicans for sinking proposed legislation that could have toughened border enforcement. That conflict is only likely to escalate this week with Biden and Trump planning dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Thursday.
The man charged with murder in Riley’s beating death, Jose Ibarra, is a Venezuelan citizen who immigration authorities say unlawfully crossed into the U.S. in September 2022.
Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University's Athens campus, after starting her college career at the much larger Athens campus of the University of Georgia. She was found dead Thursday after a roommate reported she didn't return from a morning run in a wooded area of the University of Georgia campus near its intramural fields.
Hundreds of students and faculty members gathered Monday afternoon for a vigil for Riley organized by her sorority sisters at the University of Georgia campus. Many people cried and members of Alpha Chi Omega held carnations, a symbol of the sorority.
"Laken showed devotion with every aspect of her life," said Chloe Mullis, president of the University of Georgia chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. "Doing things halfway just wasn’t an option. We lost one of the brightest lights that has ever been."
Dabney Duncan, president of the University of Georgia Panhellenic Council, urged people to speak up about possible dangers to prevent further losses, referring to Georgia’s bulldog mascot. "We all carry that responsibility now to ensure that there is not one more dawg."
Riley’s family planned a Friday visitation and Saturday funeral in Woodstock, Georgia, the suburb northwest of Atlanta where Riley graduated from high school.
With the Associated Press.