The suspect in the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley has proven to be a family organization affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Two brothers of Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra, 26, are suspected of being involved in an imported prison gang that is wreaking havoc across the United States, a Department of Homeland Security source told The Washington Post.
Sources say 24-year-old Argeniz Ibarra is the latest brother to be identified as a member of Tren de Aragua.
Homeland Security identified Argeniz as an active member of Tren de Aragua in June, according to sources. He is currently in U.S. Marshals custody awaiting the outcome of fraud charges.
Tren de Aragua uses the southern border to bring members into the United States and recruits members for its criminal gangs in sanctuary cities across the country, including New York City, where they have reportedly engaged in gun smuggling, snatch thefts, and assaults on police officers.
The Post first identified Laken Riley, 23, as a gang member after his arrest Feb. 23.
He is accused of attacking and killing a 22-year-old student as he was riding on a dirt road near the University of Georgia in Athens.
He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial on November 18th.
Authorities confirmed to The Washington Post that Jose’s brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, is a member of the gang after he was arrested on suspicion of possessing a fake green card that he allegedly used to get a job at the University of Georgia.
Separately, Jose is accused of secretly photographing a University of Georgia employee on the same day as the murder.
Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Diego was stopped and arrested by police who had been searching for his brother after the murder.
According to the arrest report, Diego has tattoos related to Tren de Aragua, including “a pentagram crown on the left side of his neck and a pentagram tattoo on the right side of his neck.”
Authorities said the suspect also had photos posted to his social media account posing with guns and holding up gang signs.
He was charged with two counts of possessing a forged document. He pleaded guilty Until last month.
The number of cases federal authorities are investigating surrounding the Tren de Aragua incident is more than “overwhelming,” sources told The Post.
Last week, local and federal law enforcement agencies across the country received warnings that gangs were giving their members the “green light” to shoot police officers.
“They have been linked to multiple crimes and we are reminding officers to be ruthless in dealing with them if they encounter them,” an El Paso law enforcement source told The Post.
“They’re doing the same things MS-13 did when it started here,” the source said, adding that the group continues to carry out robberies and card skimming near the border but has mostly moved to bigger cities.
When he was arrested on Feb. 23, he allegedly had counterfeit green cards and Social Security cards.
Riley’s killing sparked national outrage over a surge in illegal immigration at the southern border.
The three brothers, alleged gang members, crossed the border into the United States through El Paso, Texas, at different times.
Jose entered El Paso illegally on September 8, 2022, accompanied by his girlfriend and their 5-year-old son.
Sources said he was released soon after due to a lack of detention space.
Argenis first entered the U.S. on April 3, 2023, crossing into Eagle Pass, Texas, but was turned back to Mexico under Title 42, a Trump administration-era COVID expulsion order, sources said.
Diego also crossed Eagle Pass that same day and was deported to Mexico.
However, the two were released into the United States less than a month later, after passing through the El Paso area.
Diego was released on suspicion of assaulting a Border Patrol agent, but was not charged because authorities claimed he suffered from “epilepsy,” according to a source.
Sources said Argenis failed to show up for required check-ins with the Department of Homeland Security while in the US and his application for a work permit was rejected.
Sources said the three brothers met in Athens, Georgia in November 2023.
