President-elect Donald Trump and House Republicans commemorated the sentencing of Jose Ibarra, the illegal Venezuelan immigrant who killed Georgia college student Laken Riley.
Ibarra, 26, was convicted on charges of malice murder and felony murder in the death of Riley, who was killed in February in the woods at the University of Georgia. On Wednesday afternoon, Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard sentenced Ibarra to life without the possibility of parole.
Trump wrote on social media that Ibarra was “found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes” and underscored the need to secure the border as quickly as possible.
“Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) deemed Ibarra a “monster” who was let into the country under the Biden-Harris administration’s watch and said the Democratic Party was “responsible” for her death.
“As a mother and a lifelong Georgian, Laken’s death is deeply personal to me,” Greene wrote on X. “She would still be alive today if not for the policies of open-border Democrats. Laken was a smart, beautiful young woman with boundless potential. Tragically, she is not the first American life lost at the hands of illegal aliens.”
Laken Riley’s killer—an illegal alien monster let into our country and flown to Georgia by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Secretary Mayorkas—has been found GUILTY on all 10 charges.
As a mother and a lifelong Georgian, Laken’s death is deeply personal to me. She would still be… pic.twitter.com/jQtVJja6Fw
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 20, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) chose to be more direct with his reaction to Ibarra’s sentencing, simply writing “justice served” on social media.
Justice served. https://t.co/XdwSeY6Gtn
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 20, 2024
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) reacted to the sentencing by recalling how President Joe Biden apologized for referring to Ibarra as an “illegal” immigrant at his State of the Union speech, contending he “shouldn’t have used” the term and instead referred to Ibarra as an “undocumented” immigrant.
The monster who killed Laken Riley was convicted on all 10 counts.
Never forget that a smiling Joe Biden apologized for referring to Laken’s murderer as exactly what he is: an illegal alien.
Joe, Kamala, and their entire regime FAILED Laken Riley.
pic.twitter.com/GjpyH91SPQ— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) November 20, 2024
Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) issued his own statement on the ruling, contending that Ibarra should have “never” been allowed into the country to begin with. He added, “Open border policies failed Laken Riley,” and the safety of the country’s residents should remain the “number one priority.”
Please see my statement regarding today’s guilty verdict: pic.twitter.com/fXcUyBNn1T
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) November 20, 2024
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Riley’s death was one of many that brought the topic of illegal immigration to the forefront of the 2024 presidential election, which Trump won against Vice President Kamala Harris. Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl killed by illegal immigrants, was another victim who Trump and others gave major attention to.
Following Trump’s victory against Harris, the president-elect has vowed to get to work on deporting illegal immigrants across the country once he enters office, with criminals and terrorists being prioritized in their deportation. The incoming administration will declare a national emergency and use military resources to implement a mass deportation.