Graham says Laken Riley suspect paroled illegally into U.S.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says the immigrant charged in the murder of an Augusta University nursing student had been paroled illegally into the United States by the Department of Homeland Security.

“DHS just confirmed to me that the man charged with Laken Riley’s murder was paroled into the U.S. illegally, ‘due to detention capacity at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas.’ He wasn’t granted parole because he provided a significant benefit to the country or that he had a humanitarian need, as the law requires.”

— Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

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Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of 22-year-old Riley.

She was a student at AU’s College of Nursing in Athens.

Ibarra’s arrest warrants accuse him of “disfiguring” Riley’s skull by hitting her with an unidentified object. He also allegedly dragged her body to a “secluded area” on the University of Georgia campus to hide the death, according to the warrants.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Ibarra illegally entered the United States.

Riley’s death has become a rallying point for Republicans seeking tighter border security. The House recently ed the Laken Riley Act, which would which would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft in the U.S.

Jose Antonio Ibarra(Athens-Clarke County Jail)

Immigration has emerged as a major campaign issue, dividing the nation and straining resources in New York, Chicago, Boston and other cities after migrants settle there and in communities across the country after crossing the nation’s southern border.

Republicans say some migrants with criminal backgrounds are not vetted and are improperly released into communities, putting U.S. citizens at risk. They have seized on the Georgia case to make those claims as the 2024 presidential election heats up.

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Graham has also said Riley’s death is “gonna change this election as much as anything.”

Riley grew up in Atlanta northern suburbs, graduated from River Ridge High School in Cherokee County where she ran on the cross-country team, and then attended the University of Georgia in Athens. She later transferred to AU.