Students at the University of Georgia in Athens held a vigil on Monday in memory of Laken Riley, the former UGA student allegedly murdered by an unlawful migrant on February 22.
It was the first day back on campus since the murder took place the previous week. The vigil, organized by a sorority Riley was a member of, also honored another student, Wyatt Banks, who reportedly took his own life on campus the day before Riley was killed. Images of the vigil posted on X show hundreds of students filling the campus area to recognize and honor the two students.
“It is so obvious to me why it feels so dark right now, and that is because we lost one of the brightest lights that there’s ever been,” said UGA Alpha Chi Omega chapter president Chloe Mullis about Riley, Now Habersham reported.
According to investigators, Riley was on a morning run when Jose Antonio Ibarra, an unlawful migrant from Venezuela, purportedly attacked, beat, and murdered her. Ibarra was paroled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2022 pending an asylum hearing. In 2023, Ibarra was arrested in New York on charges of endangering a child under the age of 17 as well as motor vehicle license violations. He was released from jail before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could order his detention, Fox News reported.
As reported by The Dallas Express, U.S. deportations of Venezuelans, even those with criminal records, can be difficult to process due to policies implemented by President Joe Biden’s administration.
Former President Donald Trump brought more attention to Riley’s murder on Thursday while visiting Eagle Pass. Trump laid the blame for allowing Ibarra and millions of other unlawful migrants into the country on the Biden administration. Trump told supporters that he had personally spoken with Riley’s parents.
“Joe Biden will never say Laken Riley’s name, but we will say it, and we will remember it,” Trump said.
Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) wrote a letter to recently impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas this week demanding information on Ibarra.
Green said in a statement, which was reported by Fox News, that Mayorkas bears responsibility for Riley’s slaying.
“If Secretary Mayorkas had chosen to comply with the laws of the United States, kept his solemn oath to defend the Constitution, and done his statutory duty to secure our borders and our homeland, Laken Riley would almost certainly be alive today,” Green said.
Green, who had previously said he would retire at the end of this term, has received pressure from fellow Republicans to seek re-election. He announced on Thursday that he would be doing just that.