House Judiciary Committee Republicans are demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas provide documents about the previous deportations and other information on the two brothers of Laken Riley's accused killer – two men from Venezuela who were also in the United States illegally at the time of the Georgia nursing student's brutal slaying.
Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., jointly penned a letter to Mayorkas on Monday requesting information on 29-year-old Diego Ibarra and 24-year-old Argenis Ibarra. Their brother, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, allegedly murdered Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was running on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22. The three men reportedly lived together in an apartment in Athens, Georgia, at the time of Riley's death.
Diego Ibarra is allegedly affiliated with the dangerous, Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, similar to his brother Jose.
Jordan and McClintock cited their previous request to Mayorkas on Feb. 27 for DHS information on Riley's accused killer and now seek the same on the two brothers.
The letter highlights that both Diego and Argenis Ibarra entered the United States illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 3, 2023, were expelled by Border Patrol agents under Title 42 authorities, but re-entered the country illegally on April 30, 2023. Diego Ibarra was released on Alternatives to Detention (ATD) by ICE despite prior encounters with law enforcement for various offenses.
Diego Ibarra was most recently arrested in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, for producing a fake green card when police were searching for Riley's killer. Argenis Ibarra was encountered by ICE in Athens, Georgia, on Feb. 23, 2024, during the investigation into Riley's murder.
The letter emphasizes the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the immigration system by criminal aliens and criticizes the Biden Administration's border and immigration policies for potentially enabling criminal aliens to enter and remain in the U.S.
To aid in oversight, the committee requests detailed case history information, including immigration history, benefits applications, and detention status. Mayorkas is asked to provide information on the aliens' entries into the U.S., processing by CBP officials, immigration detainers, and Alternatives to Detention details by April 1.
Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., were also cc'ed on the letter, as the House Judiciary Committee continues its oversight of federal immigration policy and procedures.
