Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged in connection with the murder of Augusta University student Laken Riley, has a second brother who was twice deported from the United States and eventually settled in Georgia, government officials said. confirmed on Thursday.
Jose Ibarra, 26 years old. and his brother, Diego Ibarra, 29. and Argenis Ybarra, 24, lived together in an apartment complex in Athens, Georgia. All three were questioned and taken into custody on suspicion of killing Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while Jose was jogging around the University of Georgia campus on February 22nd.
“Argenis Ibarra, 24, a Venezuelan national, first entered the United States illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 3, 2023, and was returned to Mexico by the United States Border Patrol (USBP) on the same day. Title 42 deportation proceedings. He illegally reentered the United States near El Paso, Texas, on April 30, 2023, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol, and released from custody on May 4, 2023 with a notice to appear. ” a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News Digital.
The Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) has scheduled an immigration hearing for the younger Ybarra in Philadelphia in 2024.
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Asylum seekers cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico into the United States on September 30, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
On February 23, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Atlanta “encountered Mr. Argenis Ybarra in Athens while assisting the University of Georgia Police Department with its investigation into the murder of Laken Riley,” a spokesperson said. . “ERO Atlanta has detained Mr. Ybarra pending further investigation into his immigration case.”
Argenis is currently being held at an ICE facility in Lumpkin, Georgia.
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Jose is charged with a crime malicious murder, felony murder, felonious assault, felonious assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, interfering with a 911 call, and concealing the death of another person in connection with Riley’s murder.
Jose Ybarra was arrested on February 23rd in connection with the February 22nd murder of Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia. (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)
The murder suspect entered the United States via El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was released on parole at the border. He initially lived in New York City, but he was arrested for child endangerment before moving to Athens.
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Diego, like Algenis, “first entered the United States illegally on April 3, 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas, and on the same day was returned to Mexico by the United States Border Patrol (USBP) pursuant to Title 42 expulsion procedures. Re-entered the United States on April 30, 2023, near El Paso, Texas, was illegally apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol, and was placed in Alternative Detention (ATD) by ERO on May 11, 2023. an ICE spokesperson previously told FOX News Digital.
Diego was charged with attempting to bite a Border Patrol agent in April 2023, but was still allowed to travel to New York. Like his brother, he moved to Athens and in September 2023, Athens-Clarke County police charged him with driving under the influence and driving without a license. He and Jose were later charged with shoplifting in Athens.
Diego Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, allegedly gave police a fake green card while searching for his brother Jose, who police accuse of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. There is. (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)
Diego was later charged with green card fraud after allegedly showing false documents to police who arrived at his brother’s apartment to question him in connection with Riley’s murder.
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Court documents released Wednesday revealed that Diego Ibarra has ties to Torren de Aragua, a violent organized crime organization based in Venezuela. Federal authorities say the gang, also known as TdA, has become known for violent turf wars as it expands into other countries in Latin America. The gang is trying to establish itself in the United States, but police have already linked it to organized crime.
Images taken from federal court filings include a photo of Diego Ibarra’s alleged fake green card and what prosecutors say is evidence of his alleged ties to the Venezuelan gang Torren de Aragua. It is included. (Central District of Georgia)
All three Ybarra brothers lived in an apartment complex near the UGA campus, about a five-minute walk from the approximate scene where Jose allegedly killed Riley.
Diego appeared in court Thursday for his first appearance related to the green card fraud charges, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle ordered the murder suspect’s brother to remain in federal custody while the case is prosecuted. Ta.
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Weigl granted a motion by federal prosecutors to detain Diego Ibarra, who will remain in the custody of federal marshals while his case is prosecuted. Diego Ibarra waived his preliminary hearing and went straight to a bail hearing Thursday in federal court.
Diego Ybarra appears in federal court on immigration charges on Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Macon, Georgia. He is the brother of Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia, last month. (Lucy Lukovic)
The judge cited several factors that led to his decision, including the fact that Diego had his ankle monitor disconnected after he was released from U.S. immigration custody and was then able to obtain or submit false documents. Mr. Weigl said he was concerned that Mr. Diego would relocate and obtain or produce additional fraudulent documents.
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He also noted that Diego failed to appear at his asylum hearing in New York and his hearing on the DUI charge in Athens.
Diego Ybarra appears in federal court on immigration charges Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Macon, Ga. Jose Ybarra, who is accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia, last month He is defendant Ibarra’s younger brother. (Lucy Lukovic)
Federal defender Chauntilia Adaway argued that Diego Ibarra is not a flight risk because he is seeking asylum in the United States. He also said the court heard no evidence that Diego committed any violent or gang-related activities. Adaway also noted that the suspect has not been charged with the alleged attack on the Border Patrol agent.
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“If convicted, Mr. Ybarra could face up to 10 years in prison,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said in a statement. “Based on the evidence that he poses a risk, we ordered that Mr. Ibarra be detained pending trial.” Thursday’s statement.
FOX News’ Samantha Daigle and Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
