Laken Riley murder suspect confirmed to be part of brutal Venezuelan gang

Jose Ibarra, the suspected murderer of University of Georgia student Laken Riley, is currently on trial for the gruesome crime that shocked the nation as it highlighted the impacts of the border crisis created by the Biden-Harris administration.

Sources at the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Ibarra is a member of Tren de Aragua, NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley reported. The New York Post made a similar report back in March.

TDA is a gang that formed in Venezuela and has largely controlled the black market in the country as it declined under socialist policies. Gang members have also reportedly acted as enforcers for the Venezuelan government against its perceived enemies.

The gang has been connected to murders, violent thefts, extortions, and human trafficking rings as members have expanded their area of operations.

Ibarra, like many other Venezuelans, took advantage of United States' open border and illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, in 2022. He was released into the country, where he eventually ended up in New York City. While there, he was arrested for lesser crimes but was released before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could put a detainer on him.

A roommate of Ibarra and his brother, who is also a member of TDA, testified they were able to get from New York City to Athens, Georgia, in September 2023 by going to the Roosevelt Hotel, where they received a "humanitarian flight."

"On January 20th, the protection of criminal illegal aliens in America ENDS once and for all," President-elect Donald Trump's campaign said on Monday in response to the revelation.

Prosecutors are calling Riley's murder a crime of opportunity. Ibarra allegedly encountered her while she was out for a jog near the college. Data from Riley's smartwatch revealed she fought off her attacker for almost 20 minutes before he apparently used a rock to crush her skull.

TDA has been in the news since the gang came to prominence in late 2023. The gang has been connected to murders, violent thefts, extortions, and human trafficking rings as members have expanded their areas of operation. Before the border crisis started in 2021, TDA mostly stayed within South America, having followed other Venezuelans who escaped their crippled nation.

TDA is present in states such as Texas, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, and Illinois.

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