The Venezuelan migrant accused of murdering 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley last month “might not have been here” had the border been secured, her father said Monday.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his daughter’s death, Jason Riley was asked during an interview with NBC’s “Today” whether he thinks a stronger immigration policy would have made a difference after his daughter’s slaying ignited a debate about the current border crisis plaguing the Biden administration.
“We have no idea if that would have changed anything, but he’s here illegally,” Jason Riley said. “That he might not have been here had we had secure borders.”
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with Riley’s murder, entered the United States through El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was freed on border parole. He initially lived in New York City, where he was arrested for endangering a child prior to his move to Athens, Georgia.
LAKEN RILEY’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL
Ibarra is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another in connection to Riley’s murder.
Ibarra lived with his two brothers in an apartment complex near the University of Georgia campus, which is about a five-minute walk from the approximate scene, where he allegedly killed the 22-year-old. The murder suspect’s two brothers, Diego Ibarra, 29, and Argenis…
Read the full article here
