Jose Antonio Ybarra, an undocumented immigrant accused of killing 22-year-old Laken Riley earlier this year, is a member of Venezuelan violence that has grown in power in the United States under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He is reportedly a confirmed member of the organization Torren de Aragua. .
Ybarra, who is currently on trial for killing Riley while jogging in Athens, Georgia, in February, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on September 8, 2022.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials cited a lack of “custodial capacity” as the reason Ybarra was granted parole through the Biden-Harris parole pipeline and released into the interior of the United States. However, at the time of Ybarra's arrest near the border, more than 8,000 detention beds were available to DHS.
Now exclusively by NewsNation's Ali Bradley report Multiple DHS officials said they confirmed Mr. Ibarra was a member of Torren de Aragua.
Prosecutors have speculated for months that Ybarra may belong to the gang, which has a loose immigration system that allows potentially thousands of members to cross the southern border. Management has been used.
On February 22nd, Riley went for a morning jog around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens. Riley was an avid runner and attended nursing school.
Riley's roommate called the police when she didn't return after jogging. Riley's body was found beaten in a wooded area on the UGA campus. The next day, Ybarra was arrested and charged with Riley's murder.
Ybarra's roommate at the time testified at Monday's trial that the undocumented immigrant returned to the apartment and fell asleep immediately after allegedly brutally killing Riley.
The roommate also testified that in September 2023, she and Ybarra requested a “humanitarian flight” to Athens at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, New York City. The hotel is a historic building that was converted into an immigrant camp by Mayor Eric Adams (D).
In November 2023, just months before Riley's murder, Ybarra applied for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On December 9, 2023, Ibarra's work permit application was approved.
In July 2023, before securing a work permit, Ybarra reported to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in New York City for a biometric appointment, where she was fingerprinted. The results of these fingerprints indicate that Ibarra had a past criminal history.
On September 14, 2023, Ibarra was arrested for conduct likely to endanger a child. Despite the accusations, Ibarra was not charged and the arrest was quashed.
Ybarra faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
