On Sunday, social media users raised concerns about the Associated Press (AP) after the media outlet refrained from explicitly stating that an illegal immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was charged with the murder of nursing student Laken Riley.
University of Georgia (UGA) authorities arrested and charged Ibarra on Friday for the death of 22-year-old Riley. During a press conference on Friday night revealing Ibarra’s identity, authorities confirmed that he was not a U.S. resident. Early reports indicated that Ibarra was residing in the U.S. illegally, and Department of Justice officials verified that Ibarra’s brother, Diego, was arrested for fraudulent immigration papers.
However, AP News published an article on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday morning, framing Riley’s death as highlighting the fear of solo female athletes. Notably, the article referred to Riley’s alleged murderer as an “Athens resident,” providing no additional information about the illegal migrant, despite university officials confirming on Friday that he was not a U.S. resident.
Social media users swiftly responded, criticizing the news agency for not being forthright about Ibarra’s immigration status.
Conservative activist Scott Presler condemned the post in a reply, linking the incident to the ongoing border crisis and blaming Democrats for “welcoming illegal aliens into the country.” Presler emphasized that the victim, a young American girl, was killed by an illegal alien, asserting concerns about the replacement of Americans.
