Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is “stonewalling” details about Jose Antonio Ybarra, the undocumented immigrant accused of killing Laken Riley, according to Rep. Mark Green (R). , Tennessee) told Breitbart News.
Chairman Greene of the House Homeland Security Committee said: sent A Feb. 27 letter to Mayorkas requested all information about Ybarra, including internal communications from the Department of Homeland Security regarding his release to the United States and immigration procedures.
Mayorkas was asked to respond with relevant information by March 11.
Greene’s office told Breitbart News that DHS confirmed it had received the request on February 27, and officials are calling it a “top priority.” However, as of March 13, Mr. Green’s office said Mr. Mayorkas had not yet responded to the information regarding Mr. Ybarra.
“DHS’s failure to comply with this reasonable request is unacceptable,” Green said.
“The documents and information we requested should be very easy for DHS to compile and produce,” he continued. “Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly asserted that parole is granted on a case-by-case basis as required by law, and if that is true, DHS will have no documentation to prove it in the case of Jose Ybarra. There shouldn’t be any problems creating it.”
Rep. Mark Green, Republican of Tennessee and Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Graham Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Greene said Mayorkas also failed to brief the House Homeland Security Committee on the issue of Riley’s killing.
“Aside from acknowledging receipt of our request, DHS has not even contacted the committee to discuss a timeline for its response,” Green said. “This is the type of obstruction we’ve encountered over and over again from the administration. It’s time for DHS to come in.”
On February 22, Riley jogged around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens, Georgia. When she did not return to her home, police searched for her. Later that day, Riley’s body was found beaten in a wooded area near Herrick Lake.
Laken Hope Riley (Photo via Facebook)
The next day, Ibarra, a 26-year-old from Venezuela, was arrested and charged with Riley’s kidnapping and murder. Ibarra arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the country’s interior, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said.
More than six months before Riley was killed, Ybarra was arrested in New York City on suspicion of injury to a child and violating motor vehicle regulations. The city’s custody policy ensured that Ybarra would be released from jail instead of being turned over to ICE agents.
Jose Antonio Ybarra (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)
Then, in October 2023, Ybarra was cited in Athens for shoplifting, but was not turned over to ICE agents. He failed to appear in court for the charges and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Ybarra remains in the Clark County Jail without bail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Please email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
