Georgia GOP Senator Colton Moore has called for José Ibarra, the Venezuelan man convicted of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, to be sent to the infamous El Salvador prison where hundreds of Venezuelan deportees have been sent by the Trump administration.
Moore expressed his outrage over Ibarra's life sentence, stating:
"This monster should suffer every single day for what he did. If we can send him to El Salvador's hellhole of a prison, where he'll rot in misery, then I'm all for it. And if President Trump makes it happen, he'll have my full support."
Ibarra, 27, was convicted in November 2024 for the killing of Riley, who was attacked while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Moore also criticized Georgia's sentencing for not applying the death penalty, which he believes would have been a more fitting punishment. "I'm still furious that Jose Ibarra wasn't sentenced to death in Georgia—because that's the justice Laken Riley deserved," added Moore in the sprawling piece. "This monster should suffer every single day for what he did."
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Chris Swecker, a former assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, also told Fox News that he believes Ibarra could be deported swiftly, although it is unclear whether he would be sent to El Salvador. "The Ibarra case...that thing's radioactive," Swecker said. "They'll find a legal basis for deportation."
In addition to Ibarra, Federal authorities revealed last week that two of his brothers and a former roommate have also pleaded guilty to possessing fraudulent documents and will be deported. Diego Ibarra, 29, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for using counterfeit identification, and his younger brother Argenis, 25, received time served. Their former roommate, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, 29, will also face deportation. Authorities believe both brothers have ties to the Venezuelan gang "Tren de Aragua."
The murder of Laken Riley has become a focal point in the national debate on immigration enforcement, with Republicans arguing that stronger laws could have prevented her death. In response, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act as soon as he took office, expanding the federal government's authority to detain undocumented immigrants, including for minor offenses.
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