University of Georgia killing: Laken Riley’s death, suspect’s arrest

(NewsNation) — The recent death of former University of Georgia student Laken Riley, who was killed while on a run near the campus, has sparked concern over the state of U.S. border security and the country’s immigration policies.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has expressed fury over the 22-year-old’s killing and suggested in a letter to the White House that her alleged killer slipped through cracks in the Biden administration’s immigration policy.

Police arrested Jose Ibarra, 26, on Friday in connection with the killing of the nursing student killed in broad daylight while out on her morning jog along a popular University of Georgia running trail.

Here’s a timeline of events leading up to and following Riley’s death, including a look at Ibarra’s immigration history.

Ibarra’s immigration history

Sept. 8, 2022: Ibarra entered the United States illegally in El Paso, Texas, with a 23-year-old woman claiming to be his wife and a 5-year-old child. He came from Venezuela and lived in New York before moving to Georgia.

He was processed as a single adult at the time. Border Patrol arrested him in El Paso, and he was later paroled and released for further processing due to lack of detention space.

Ibarra was bused from El Paso to New York.

April 3, 2023: Diego Ibarra, 28, Jose Ibarra’s brother, enters the U.S. through Eagle Pass for the first time. Agents speculate he left on his own — he was not deported.

April 30, 2023: Diego Ibarra enters the U.S. for the second time through El Paso. On this entry, there was a violent event where a Border Patrol agent was assaulted. He was not prosecuted because he claimed he had epilepsy.

Diego Ibarra was placed under expedited removal with credible fear and was turned over to ICE. Records show he was then released on parole.

The person who crossed over with Diego Ibarra was charged with assaulting the Border Patrol agent and is currently sitting in Big Springs Correctional Facility as an aggravated felon.

Sept. 14, 2023: According to ICE officials, Jose Ibarra was arrested and charged in New York City for driving a minor around on a moped. He was charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.

He was was released on a misdemeanor before an ICE detainer could be issued.

He moved to Athens, Georgia, near his brother, Diego Ibarra, to the Argo apartment community complex, located just three minutes away from the intramural athletic fields near the University of Georgia campus.

Feb. 6, 2024: Diego Ibarra presented a fake green card to obtain work in a temporary position in Bolton Dining Hall as a dishwasher, according to the university. The university says he failed to submit further documentation later and was fired. He was never paid.

Laken Riley goes missing while on a run

Feb. 22, 2024: Riley’s friend reported her missing at 12:07 p.m. after she didn’t return home from a run.

Investigators discovered a body on the UGA campus in a forested area behind Lake Herrick near the intramural fields around 12:38 p.m. Responding officer Kenneth Maxwell administered life-saving aid to Riley. Emergency medical responders determined the victim died before officers found her.

The university canceled classes and urged students to travel in groups. The university community was also asked to avoid the school’s intramural fields where Riley was found.

Jose Ibarra arrested

Feb. 23, 2024: The Athens-Clarke County coroner identified Riley as the victim.

The University of Georgia Police Department arrested Jose Ibarra in connection to Riley’s death. He was officially charged with killing Riley.

Diego Ibarra was also arrested the same day as his brother. Law enforcement say they approached the accused killer’s brother because he also matched the description of the homicide suspect. Police say Diego Ibarra presented them with a fake green card, and he was taken into custody.

Law enforcement revealed Diego Ibarra is also in the country illegally and has been arrested and released several times in the last year.

Since entering the United States, investigators say Diego Ibarra has been arrested three times by Athens, Georgia, law enforcement. His charges included driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, and “failure to appear for a fingerprintable offense.”

Aftermath of Riley’s death

Feb. 24, 2024: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp expressed fury over the 22-year-old’s death, suggesting in a letter to the White House that her alleged killer slipped through the cracks in the Biden administration’s immigration policy.

Jose Ibarra made his first court appearance and will be held without bond. The media was allowed in the courtroom but not allowed to show the suspect on camera. Jose Ibarra’s lawyer argued he should not be shown on camera in jail clothing, and the judge agreed.

University of Georgia murder suspect Jose Antonio Ibarra was just in court.
No bond.
Media was allowed in, but not allowed to show Ibarra on camera.
His lawyer argued he should not be shown on camera in jail clothing, and judge agreed so we could not show him. pic.twitter.com/mG8BrRtPE6

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) February 24, 2024

Feb. 26, 2024: Kemp held a news conference on Riley’s death and the lack of border security. He blamed her death on the White House’s border policy.

“It is an understatement to say that this is a major crisis,” Kemp said during the news conference. “Because of the White House’s failures, every state is now a border state. Laken Riley’s murder is just the latest proof of that.”

Shortly after Kemp’s conference, President Joe Biden posted a statement to social media defending his administration’s border efforts.

“Months ago, I instructed my team to begin working with bipartisan lawmakers to fix our immigration system. They did a hell of a job, and together, we put forward some of the most fair reforms ever. Speaker Johnson, it’s time to call a vote and send this bill to my desk,” he wrote.

Hundreds of students gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil hosted by Alpha Chi Omega to honor Riley’s life.

Family and friends carried flowers and passed out red and green ribbons in remembrance of the late nursing student, holding each other up as they cried.

Feb. 27, 2024: Court documents reveal gruesome details about Riley’s death. Investigators say Riley was beaten to death in broad daylight.

Prosecutors allege Ibarra, 26, beat Riley with an object, disfiguring the nursing student’s skull during the attack. Ibarra then allegedly dragged her body to a secluded area off the jogging path in an attempt to conceal her body.

Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee requested more information from the Department of Homeland Security as they started their own investigation into Ibarra.

NewsNation obtained a letter Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., sent to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about concerns they had after learning Ibarra was not in the country legally.

Jordan and McClintock wrote in the letter they want information on Ibarra’s immigration case history; the time, date and place of all his entries into the United States; Ibarra’s processing by CBP; and whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer against him.

The lawmakers gave DHS a deadline of 5 p.m. on March 12 to provide the information.

Feb. 28, 2024: Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz addressed the media about what the city is doing to keep its community safe following Riley’s death.

When discussing immigration and the city’s stance on immigration — including the Athens’ definition of a sanctuary city — during the conference, attendees began shouting at Girtz, calling him a “liar” and telling him to resign. The attendees continued to accuse him of having “blood on his hands” for Riley’s death.

Community members heckled the mayor while he attempted to take questions from the press. The disruptive behavior continued throughout the conference, delaying the mayor from answering pressing questions about the city’s stance on immigration in the wake of Riley’s death.

Directly following the mayor’s conference, NewsNation obtained the investigation’s incident report that detailed the moments police found Riley’s body, including lifesaving measures conducted.

The incident report also revealed Sofia Magana, 21, is the 22-year-old’s friend who reported her missing.

Feb. 29, 2024: Georgia House Republicans back a bill that would require every eligible police and sheriff’s department to help identify undocumented immigrants, arrest them and detain them for deportation. The House voted 97-74 on Thursday to advance House Bill 1105 after police accused Ibarra of killing Riley.

The bill would also set new requirements for how jail officials should check with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to determine whether people are known to be in the country illegally.

State Rep. Jesse Petrea sponsored the legislation. He said he worked on the effort for at least a year, but the bill took on new importance after Riley’s death, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Rep. Pedro Marin, Georgia’s longest-serving Latino legislator, said crimes committed by people should not be used to generalize entire communities. He said the bill is an attempt to promote racial profiling, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the southern border in the wake of Riley’s death that raised concerns about border security. Trump blamed Biden for crimes committed by people in the country illegally, citing Riley’s case.

Riley laid to rest

March 1, 2024: A visitation for family and friends of Riley’s was held at Woodstock City Church, where a slideshow of photos played on TV screens inside the large church’s auditorium — Riley on a beach, at a football game, wearing a Georgia Bulldogs jersey. Funeral services followed the visitation in Cherokee County, where Riley lived before graduating from high school in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. She was then laid to rest.

The “Laken Riley Act” is introduced in the House of Representatives. The new bill would give states more power to fight federal immigration laws when it comes to crimes committed by migrants. The Laken Riley Act is sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who represents the area where Riley was killed.

Riley’s death fuels immigration battle

March 3, 2024: Riley’s death took center stage in Washington’s battles over immigration. Trump, whose signature issue is border security, repeatedly criticized Biden’s policies over Riley’s death.

Democrats criticized Republicans for linking Riley’s death to Biden’s handling of the border, arguing that the issues of immigration and crime should not be conflated.

Both Trump and Biden visited spots on the border, but the former president noted he called Riley’s parents the day before and directly blamed Biden for Jose Ibarra entering the country.

March 7, 2024: Diego Ibarra was charged in federal court with possessing a fraudulent green card. He will remain in federal custody as requested by the government at a detention hearing.

If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison. U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle ordered him to remain in police custody pending trial based on evidence that he is a flight risk.

House lawmakers passed the “Laken Riley Act,” a bill proponents say is aimed at making sure no family ever has to experience the tragedy Riley’s family went through.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., co-sponsor of the bill, joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss details of the legislation, saying, “This is a very simple bill. It passed with flying colors, and it passed with people from both sides of the aisle.”

The legislation passed 251-170, with all Republicans and 37 Democrats voting for it. 

With an unscripted clash between Biden and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the 2024 State of the Union speech, Riley’s death was further cemented as a political rallying point in the 2024 presidential race.

The 22-year-old has become the face of immigration reform for many conservatives.

At the State of the Union address, Biden held up a pin with Riley’s name on it as Greene shouted from the gallery: “Say her name!”

The president acknowledged Riley’s death, saying, “Laken Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you, having lost children myself. I understand.”

Riley’s killing is “gonna change this election as much as anything,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said shortly after her death.

What’s next in the case?

March 12, 2024: Deadline for DHS to provide the House Judiciary Committee information on Ibarra, including his immigration case history, processing by CBP and ICE’s detainer against him.