The House Judiciary Committee is seeking information from the Department of Homeland Security about the brothers of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man accused of killing Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley. The Judiciary Committee previously requested information about Ibarra’s immigration case and is now requesting information on his two brothers, Diego and Argenis Ibarra.
Jose Antonio Ibarra is charged with murdering Riley while she was going for a run. In addition to malice murder, he’s also charged with aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022 and was released on parole.
In a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Chairman Jim Jordan and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock requested the men’s immigration case history. The information would include whether ICE lodged a detainer against them and whether they were allowed to be released on “alternatives to detention,” which can involve electronic tracking with GPS, release on own recognizance and other measures.
Diego Ibarra was approached by law enforcement during the murder investigation because he matched the description of the suspect. He’s accused of giving officers a fake green card and is now charged with possessing a fraudulent card.
Diego was first released from immigration custody in April 2023 and has since been arrested three times on DUI, shoplifting and failure to appear charges. ICE encountered Argenis Ibarra during the murder investigation but he does not appear to have a history similar to his brothers’.
“Criminal aliens exploit vulnerabilities in our nation’s immigration system to the detriment of those in the United States,” Jordan wrote in the letter to Mayorkas. “The Biden administration’s border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S.”
The committee wants the information by April 1.
