The Venezuelan migrant charged with murdering Laken Riley has been identified as member of a deadly gang, but was still waved through the US border, sources have revealed.
Jose Ibarra, 26, is listed as part of the deadly Tren de Aragua gang on internal Department of Homeland Security documents seen by The Post.
He was first arrested for illegally crossing into the US in September 2022 at El Paso, Texas. However, after less than 24 hours in custody, he was released on parole and given free rein in the US until October 2024, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement insiders.
Ibarra made his way to New York City, where he appeared carefree, living in a shelter provided by the city and posting pictures of himself smiling at Big Apple landmarks.
He was even arrested by police in the city but let go, before fleeing to Georgia to meet his allegedly violent brother, who had also been allowed into the country but who cut off an ankle monitor to evade authorities.
Three months later he would go on to kill innocent 22-year-old nursing student Riley, as she jogged near her campus.
The case also highlights how violent and dangerous people have easily slipped under the radar by taking advantage of the Biden administration’s border policies.
After not publicly addressing the issue since Riley’s life was taken on Feb. 22, Biden finally addressed the issue at his State of the Union address on Thursday, bungling her name in the process.
“Lincoln — Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal – that’s right. But how many thousands of people [are] being killed by illegals?” Biden said.
The president was not technically correct in referring to Ibarra as an “illegal”, as he was legally allowed to be in the country on a parole scheme his administration had decided to use, and has been granted to more than one million people.
Ammon Blair, who retired from Border Patrol in November and Senior Fellow for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told The Post border agents don’t have enough time to properly vet those coming into the country.
He told The Post: “They want migrants out of our hands and out of our custody as fast as humanly possible so that’s why we don’t know [which are gang members].
Blair said because the US and Venezuela have no diplomatic relations, the country does not share its criminal database with law enforcement here.
“The only way that we could try to verify whether someone is with Tren de Aragua is by tattoos. If they don’t have tattoos, we’re out of luck. The MS-13 [gang] started realizing that and so the younger generation stopped doing the tattoos until after they got into the United States.”
“There is literally no way to tell if someone is Tren de Aragua because we don’t talk to Venezuela. The only way to know is if they’re on Interpol with other countries prior to coming to the United States or if they already have a criminal record here.”
Here we break down Ibarra’s timeline in the US, highlighting shocking oversights at every level that allowed the alleged killer among ordinary citizens.
September 8, 2022
Ibarra is arrested by the US Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, after illegally crossing the border. He is accompanied by his girlfriend, Layling Franco, and her 5-year-old son.
After less than 24 hours, Ibarra is released on parole due to lack of detention capacity, according to ICE records seen by The Post. He gives his destination address in New York as a homeless shelter and is instructed to report to the agency in the city.
As The Post reported at the time, El Paso was being overrun, with more than 600 migrants arriving a day. El Paso was also paying for migrants to be bused from the city to New York, at that time with the blessing of Mayor Eric Adams.
October 22, 2022
Ibarra is issued a date to check in with ICE on October 24, 2024, according to records provided to The Post.
April 6, 2023
ICE in New York reschedules Ibarra’s appointment, pushing it back further, to December 13, 2024.
ICE does not have any notes indicating Ibarra ever checked in with the agency.
May 22, 2023
Ibarra files an asylum application and applies for a work permit.
Franco previously told The Post that she and Ibarra “got married so we could join our asylum cases,” to increase their chances of success as a family unit.
Franco said Ibarra worked for DoorDash, Uber Eats and a local restaurant at this time.
August 31, 2023
Ibarra is arrested by the NYPD and charged with riding a gas-powered moped with Franco’s son on the back without any head protection or restraint for the child. He is released by the NYPD before ICE can issue a detainer for his arrest. His case with the NYPD is later sealed.
November 2023
Franco and Ibarra split and he moves to Athens, Georgia, where he meets up with his brothers, Diego, 29, and Argenis, 24.
Diego had attempted to enter the country in April that year, along with Argenis, but they were both immediately ejected from the US, according to FOX. Less than a month later,they attempted to re-enter again at El Paso.
During this encounter, Diego had a fight with border officers, his arrest report states. Despite a physical fight and attempting to bite an officer, Diego cut a deal with the feds and amazingly was allowed into the country with an ankle monitor. He promptly cut the device off in Littleton, Colorado, according to the report, then went to Georgia. Argenis was also allowed into the country.
December 2023
Diego is arrested for driving under the influence and driving without a license in September.
In October, both Diego and Ibarra are arrested for stealing from a Walmart store. A police report says over $200 worth of goods have been taken, including food, T-shirts, shorts and a jacket.
In December, warrants are issued for both brothers’ arrest after they fail to report to cops.
During this time, Diego also briefly works for the University of Georgia, using a false green card as identification.
February 22, 2024
Promising nursing student Laken Riley fails to return home after going for a run near her campus.
February 23, 2024
Jose Ibarra is arrested and charged with concealing the death of another, false imprisonment, felony murder, malice murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery in connection with the death of Riley. Authorities use surveillance footage to put him at the crime scene, according to his arrest report.
The same day, Diego is approached by officers as he matches the description of his brother. He is arrested after he hands police his fake green card. He faces up to 10 years in prison for using the false federal ID.
Argenis was also arrested on the same day and is currently being held by ICE while they further investigate his immigration case, according to local channel WSBTV.
March 2024
An arrest report for Diego Ibarra shows he has the distinctive tattoos of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, including a “five-point crown on the left side of his neck and a five-pointed stars on the right side of his neck,” according to documents filed Wednesday at the US Middle District of Georgia.
Social media pictures show him posing with guns and throwing gang signs.
Jose Ibarra is also listed as “an active member” of Tren de Aragua, ICE sources told The Post.
Both men have yet to enter a plea for their respective cases.
