Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump released a statement following the conviction and sentencing of Jose Ibarra on Wednesday.
Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in the murder of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
“JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY! The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes. Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
“We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!” he added.
As RSBN previously reported, Ibarra, who has ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, brutally murdered Riley on February 22 as she was going for a jog on campus at the University of Georgia.
When Riley failed to return from her jog, her roommates contacted campus police and began searching for her. Her body was discovered in a wooded area on campus the following day.
Just one day later, Ibarra was arrested and charged with Riley’s murder. He had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, illegally in 2022 and was released into the country by the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden administration.
In July 2023, Ibarra was fingerprinted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a biometric appointment in New York City, revealing his criminal history.
In September 2023, he was arrested after crashing a vehicle with an unrestrained child inside. However, the arrest was later expunged, and Ibarra was not prosecuted.
Ibarra moved to Georgia later that month on a taxpayer-funded humanitarian flight. In December 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved him for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
Trump previously honored Riley’s life during a rally in Rome, Georgia, in March. He spoke directly to her family and friends in attendance, mentioning them by name.
“We vow to keep Laken’s memory alive for as long as we are here on this earth, and we take comfort that she is now home with God in heaven,” he said.