Brother of illegal migrant suspected of brutally killing Laken Riley is revealed to have ties to violent Venezuela gang trying to gain a foothold in the US – as college student’s parents turn down SOTU invitation so they grieve her death

The brother of the illegal migrant accused of brutally killing Laken Riley has ties to a violent organized crime gang in Venezuela, according to federal prosecutors.

Diego Lbarra, 29, was previously arrested and charged with possessing a fake green card after handing it over to police while they were hunting for his brother.

His younger brother, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, is accused of killing Augusta University student Laken Riley, 22, after he stabbed her with an unknown object on Feb. 22.

Federal authorities have since discovered that Diego has ties to the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua, a violent gang trying to gain a foothold in the US.

The gang’s revelation comes as Riley’s parents declined an invitation to attend Thursday’s State of the Union address so they could mourn the nursing student’s brutal murder.

The Tren de Aragua gang, also known as TdA, has made its way to New York City, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Georgia, along with South and Central America. The group has also been linked to the violent attack on NYPD officers in January.

Investigators discovered multiple photos posted to Diego’s social media showing him in Chicago Bulls basketball gear, something TDA members are known to wear, prosecutors said.

“TdA members often wear Chicago Bulls basketball apparel even though they have no affiliation with Chicago or the Bulls,” prosecutors said.

Homeland Security Investigators also found photos of Diego online that showed the gang’s hand gestures, along with identifying tattoos such as stars, clocks, trains, weapons and crowns.

More photos of him with firearms have been found online, even though illegal immigrants in the US are not legally allowed to own guns.

“Ibarra is a citizen of Venezuela and was prosecuted for expedited removal, but alleged a credible fear of return to Venezuela,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia wrote in a statement.

“He was therefore released from immigration custody pending the ruling on his asylum application on April 30, 2024.”

A month later, he allegedly cut off the ankle monitor imposed on him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was later found in Colorado, but by then Diego had reached Athens, Georgia.

While in Georgia, Diego had multiple run-ins with police and was hit with multiple DUI charges, was accused of stealing his girlfriend’s phone, and allegedly shoplifted from two different Walmart stores.

Diego has been in custody since late February as he faced federal charges for possessing a fake green card.

The elder Ibarra was stopped by Athens-Clarke County police because he matched the description of the suspected killer.

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins invited Riley’s parents to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, but they declined so they could mourn the loss of their beloved daughter.

“I invited Laken Riley’s parents to the State of the Union address, but understandably they chose to stay home as they mourn the loss of their daughter,” Collins wrote to X on Wednesday.

“Therefore, the seat reserved for my guest will remain vacant in honor of Laeken and all American victims of illegal alien crime.”

“As Joe Biden tries to paint a rosy picture of the crime-ridden country he created, he will look up at an empty chair memorializing those we lost because of his open borders policy,” he added.

Jose was arrested on February 22 at his apartment complex near the running path near where Riley’s body was found.

He is accused of using an unknown object to kill Riley and stopping her from calling 911 when he allegedly grabbed her between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. the day of the murder.

Riley’s body was found the same day on the University of Georgia campus in a wooded area near Lake Herrick, with trails popular with runners and walkers.

Police said Riley died of “blunt force trauma” after being beaten and that she had a “deformed skull.”

They added that Jose dragged her body to a secluded area to conceal the death, according to an arrest affidavit seen by CBS News.

Neighbors of the Venezuelan migrant have since said he would watch the running track all day and was seen on security cameras throwing away bloodied clothes on the day of the attack.

“He took all the evidence. He is on camera with his bloody clothes in a bag,” said a neighbor.

She added that she had previously seen Riley cutting through the complex to get to the running path and claimed that Ibarra had likely seen the student earlier because he had been sitting outside all day.

The 26-year-old crossed the border into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released from a detention center due to lack of space.

He was charged with Riley’s murder, murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping and concealing the death of another.

A funeral was held for Riley on Friday as her family and friends gathered at Woodstock City Church outside Atlanta, Georgia to say their final goodbyes.

Hundreds of mourners lined up outside the church in the pouring rain on Friday to pay their last respects to Riley. A long line formed outside the visiting room, where a slideshow of photos played on TV screens in the church’s main hall.

Some people dabbed away tears as they walked past the casket, which sat at the front of the room and was flanked by photos of Riley and bouquets of flowers.