Jose Ibarra, the illegal immigrant convicted of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, secured a major court victory last Thursday when a judge ordered a mental evaluation that could lead to a new trial.

Ibarra, 27, was found guilty in November on 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault with intent to rape Riley, who he murdered after she went jogging at the University of Georgia in Athens.

According to court documents, Ibarra’s defense attorneys claimed he “lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object and proceedings” and is “suffering from congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial,” per the New York Post.

Judge Patrick Haggard ordered a “prompt evaluation” to determine if Ibarra was fit to stand trial last year and whether he can assist with his current appeal.

“The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense,” the order reads.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross noted in court filings that there was no evidence during the trial suggesting Ibarra wasn’t mentally competent, though she didn’t oppose the evaluation and instead left the decision up to the Judge.

Ibarra, a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, waived his right to a jury trial, and Judge Haggard sentenced the illegal immigrant to life in prison without parole.

Ibarra had illegally entered the United States during the Biden administration’s border crisis, having been detained in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released after approximately one day.

Riley’s brutal murder shocked the University of Georgia campus and garnered national attention amid heated debates about immigration enforcement.

In January, President Donald Trump signed into law the “Laken Riley Act,” which requires federal officials to arrest non-U.S. nationals accused of violent and theft-related crimes in the United States.

Ibarra had been previously arrested for other offenses, but he was released in New York before federal authorities could issue a detainer.

The mental evaluation is set to take place either at the Georgia Department of Corrections or at a designated hospital facility. No timeline has been established for when the evaluation results might be available or how quickly the court will rule on potential next steps.

If the mental evaluation finds Ibarra was not competent during his original trial, his defense team could petition for a retrial, potentially setting aside his life sentence and reopening wounds for Riley’s family and community.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined hordes of protesters Monday as they attempted to disrupt an ICE raid on a reported MS-13 hangout.

Dozens of ICE agents and military personnel surrounded Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park early Monday morning, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported. Accompanied by agents on horseback and a Department of Homeland Security helicopter flying overhead, the coordinated raid was aimed at detaining MS-13 members, who reportedly congregate in the park.

Immediately following the agents’ operation, Bass arrived at the park and attempted to speak to ICE officers. Responding to a reporter, Bass said, “They need to leave and they need to leave right now … because this is unacceptable!”

Later, in a post on X, Bass denounced the raid at the park, saying, “Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing- then, the MILITARY comes through. The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous.”

Protestors arrived at the raid almost as soon as it began. According to one report, one of the armored vehicles had its tires slashed by a protester while others had objects thrown at them.

One transgender protestor confronted the officers, demanding they “Get out of my city!”

After the raid was over, Bass spoke to Border Patrol Chief Agent Gregory Bovino over the phone, asking for the agents’ removal from the park.

When asked what Bovino’s response was, he commented to Fox News’s Bill Melugin, “I don’t work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”

In June, Los Angeles became the epicenter of protests and riots against ICE raids after the Trump administration ramped up efforts to detain illegal aliens. For about a week, anti-ICE riots continued throughout parts of the city, leading to a curfew put in place by Bass, multiple arrests of agitators, and investigations into extremist groups funding the protestors.

Protests against the presence of federal agents in the community have continued in the past month, with the most recent arrests occurring Saturday, according to Fox News.

President Donald Trump recently sued the city of Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policies, which he says violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause of the constitution.