Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is “stonewalling” on details regarding Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal alien accused of murdering Laken Riley, Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) tells Breitbart News.
Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Mayorkas on February 27 requesting all information on Ibarra, including his release into the United States and internal DHS communication regarding his immigration proceedings.
Mayorkas was asked to respond with the relevant information by March 11.
Green’s office told Breitbart News that DHS acknowledged on February 27 that the request was received, with officials calling it a “high priority.” As of March 13, though, Green’s office said Mayorkas has yet to respond with information on Ibarra.
“It’s unacceptable that DHS has failed to comply with this reasonable request,” Green said.
“The documents and information that we have requested should be quite simple for DHS to compile and produce,” he continued. “Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly claimed that parole is being granted on a case-by-case basis, per the law’s requirement, and if that’s true, DHS shouldn’t have any trouble producing the documents verifying that in the matter of Jose Ibarra.”
Rep.Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mayorkas, Green said, has also failed to brief the House Homeland Security Committee on the issue of Riley’s murder.
“Aside from confirming receipt of our request, DHS has not contacted the Committee to even discuss a timeline to respond,” Green said. “This is the type of stonewalling we’ve encountered over and over again from the administration. It’s time for DHS to be forthcoming.”
On February 22, Riley went for a jog around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens, Georgia. Police went searching for her after she did not return home. Later that day, Riley’s body was found bludgeoned in a wooded area near Lake Herrick.
Laken Hope Riley (Photo via Facebook)
The following day, Ibarra, 26 years old and from Venezuela, was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering Riley. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, Ibarra arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, and was released into the nation’s interior.
More than six months before Riley’s murder, Ibarra was arrested in New York City for allegedly injuring a child and violating motor vehicle rules. The city’s sanctuary policy ensured that Ibarra was released from jail instead of being turned over to ICE agents.
Jose Antonio Ibarra (Clarke County Sheriff’s Office)
Then, in October 2023, Ibarra was given a citation in Athens for shoplifting but was not turned over to ICE agents. He failed to appear in court for the charges, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Ibarra remains in Clark County Jail without bail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
