DHS Confirms to Graham: Laken Riley Murder Suspect Illegally Paroled Into U.S.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has verified to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that Jose Antonio Ibarra, the individual accused of murdering Georgia student Laken Riley, was unlawfully paroled into the country.

DHS has stated that Ibarra was granted parole due to a lack of detention capacity at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. This information was publicly announced by Senator Graham during a Judiciary Committee hearing…

Ibarra, a citizen of Venezuela, was paroled into the United States in September 2022. He was arrested for Riley’s murder in February 2024. In the aftermath of her murder, Senator Graham wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking an explanation for Ibarra’s parole into the United States.

According to law, immigration parole should only be granted at the discretion of the DHS Secretary on a case-by-case basis, for reasons of “urgent humanitarian need or significant public benefit.” The Biden Administration is accused of violating the law, resulting in harm to innocent Americans.