Georgia Lawmakers Advance Immigration Crackdown After Riley Murder

The tragic death of University of Georgia student Laken Riley has provided a bright spotlight on the nation’s border crisis after an undocumented migrant was arrested and charged in connection with her murder.

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Some of the backlash against the handling of this case has been directed at Athens-Clarke District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who opted to hand the prosecution over to a special prosecutor amid concerns from critics, including GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, that she was not up to the job. 

State legislators have also attempted to change relevant laws in order to give police the authority to arrest anyone suspected of living in the country illegally and, upon conviction, initiate the deportation process.

Such a measure recently passed in the Republican-controlled state House by a margin of 97 to 74. Those jurisdictions found to be in violation of the bill, if passed into law, would be in jeopardy of losing state or federal funding. 

Republican state Rep. Houston Gaines, a supporter of the bill, asserted: “Fixing policy in the face of unspeakable tragedy is not politics. It’s doing the right thing to ensure something like this never occurs again.”

The advancement of this bill comes after Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz attempted to defend his policies amid sharp criticism from locals who blame him for refusing to enforce existing immigration laws.

Protesters have specifically taken aim at a 2019 resolution by the city government in which it declared that “people from all lands and backgrounds,” including those who entered the country illegally, were welcome in Athens.

Girtz was heckled as he attempted to deliver remarks at a news conference last week by demonstrators including James Lee, who later elaborated on his motivation to take part in the protest.

“This mayor is a left-wing nut job, into wokeism,” Lee said in a Fox News Channel interview. “This mayor has violated his oath of office. He is supposed to protect Athenians, citizens of Athens, not protect illegal criminal aliens.”