Diego Ibarra indicted; New multistate effort to pass Laken Riley Act
DIEGO JOSE IBARRA
ATLANTA - A federal grand jury seated in the Middle District of Georgia has charged 29-year-old Diego Ibarra, a Venezuela native, with one count of Possession of Counterfeit Immigration Document.
If convicted, Ibarra faces a maximum of ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He is currently being held in federal custody after a court appearance last week.
Ibarra is the brother of 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, who is accused of killing Athens University nursing student 22-year-old Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22.
PREVIOUS STORY: Diego Ibarra, brother of murder suspect in Laken Riley's UGA campus death, appears in court
Athens-Clarke County police officers approached him on Feb. 23 for matching the description of a murder suspect when he presented officers with the fraudulent document and was placed under arrest.
The University of Georgia confirmed Diego Ibarra also used the faulty green card to gain temporary employment at the school as a dishwasher in the Bolton Dining Hall on campus. He was hired on Feb. 6, 2024. However, he failed to submit further documentation required to keep the job and was fired.
Diego was arrested by Athens-Clarke County Police three times since September 2022 for DUI and driving without a license, shoplifting, and failure to appear.
Jose was also arrested by Athens-Clarke County Police for shoplifting and a previous arrest in New York.
Additionally, a third brother, 24-year-old Argenis Ibarra, was also arrested Feb. 23 in Athens for entering the country illegally. He is currently being held in a detention center in Lumpkin.
Federal prosecutors believe that Diego Ibarra may have ties to Tren de Argua, an organized crime gang based in Venezuela.
Laken Riley Act
The case sparked a national debate about immigration and led to the Laken Riley Act. Attorney General Chris Carr is currently leading a 26-state coalition calling on the U.S. Senate to quickly pass the act which requires the detention of any illegal alien for any larceny, burglary, theft, or shoplifting offense. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 251-170.
RELATED: Senate Republicans introduce Laken Riley Act, urge immediate consideration of 'commonsense' bill
Arrival of the Ibarra brothers in the U.S.
The exact arrival of the three brothers in Athens is unknown, although it appears that Diego was in Athens before Jose.
Jose Ibarra was already in the country when his brothers, Diego and Argenis, arrived. He entered illegally near El Paso, Texas, in 2022, according to ICE. After being detained by officials, he and his wife and child were sent to New York City. After he was arrested for endangering a child in 2023, Jose moved to Athens.
Jose, Diego and Argenis Ibarra
Diego and Argenis arrived in the U.S. together. They first entered the U.S. on April 3, 2023, near Eagle Pass, Texas, but were detained and sent back. They re-entered on April 30 near El Paso. Their exact movements after that are unknown. Argenis told officials he was headed to Pennsylvania and he was given a court date in late 2024. Diego, who was combative when he was initially taken into custody, was held briefly before he was released with a tracking device, which was later found in Colorado.
How many illegal immigrants are in the U.S.?
In 2021, there were 10.5 million unauthorized or illegal immigrants in the U.S., below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007, according to Pew Research Center. Georgia had an unauthorized population of 350,000 in 2021, constituting 3.2% of the state's population, down from 425,000 in 2007.
As of 2021, 93.9% of Clarke County residents were U.S. citizens, exceeding the national average of 93.4%. The population of Clarke County on July 1, 2022, was 129,875, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, 262,633 Venezuelans crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2023, up from 189,520 in 2022. Although the majority of immigrants still come from Mexico and India/China, immigrants from Venezuela represent the fastest-growing group.
Athens and Clarke County have been heavily criticized since the murder of providing sanctuary for illegal immigrants. The mayor has denied the allegations. Georgia outlawed sanctuary cities in 2009.