In Athens, Georgia, angry residents heckled the Democratic mayor at a press conference following the killing of 22-year-old college student Laken Riley, allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
protester interrupted Mayor Kelly Gertz’s remarks on public safety Wednesday morning; According to Fox News, they held signs and chanted “Blood on our hands” and “Make Athens safe again.”
“The only appropriate number of homicides in this community, the one we strive for every day, is zero,” Gertz said, trying to reject the “sanctuary city concept.”
“You’re a liar,” one man in the crowd yelled over and over again. “You’re the one who’s guilty of this murder and has blood on your hands, sir!”
Several other people have also begun calling for Giltz to resign, as he continues to insist that Athens is not a sanctuary city.
“There is no legislation from this government to establish sanctuary city status,” the mayor said.
Despite state law in Georgia preventing cities from adopting formal “sanctuary” status for illegal immigrants, atlanta journal constitution report Athens-Clarke County authorities say they “will not incarcerate illegal immigrants who have no criminal record.”
The reporter continued to press Riley on the issue, noting that several illegal immigrants were found in the Athens apartment of José Antonio Ibarra, the 26-year-old Venezuelan national who is accused of killing Riley.
Jose Antonio Ybarra (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)
Gertz responded, “I deeply regret this tragedy.” “The perpetrators alone are responsible for this crime.”
Protesters also called on Athens-Clarke County to rescind a resolution signed by Gertz saying local governments welcome undocumented immigrants.
August 20, 2019 solution It accused “white supremacists and xenophobes” of supporting “agencies such as ICE” against “undocumented” people, especially members of the “Latino” community.
Instead of accepting responsibility, Gertz shifted the blame to former President Donald Trump.
“2019 is not that long ago, but you may remember a time when we were living in this country in our late teens. ” he said. “And that concept was metastasizing to places like Charlottesville.”
The crowd interrupted him again, and one woman even laughed at the mayor’s shifting of responsibility.
“This is an invasion,” a man shouted.
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Randy Clark / Breitbart
Riley was a recent transfer from the University of Georgia (UGA) and had just started Augusta University’s nursing program when she enrolled. do not have Breitbart News reported on February 22nd. Her roommate noticed that she had not returned from jogging and she called the police.
Officials said her body was found in a wooded area near Herrick Lake and UGA’s intramural field just hours after the running enthusiast left her home that morning.
Ibarra was arrested the next day in connection with the killing.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Confirmed Fox News Sunday reported that the murder suspect was arrested in 2022 after illegally entering the United States from Mexico, but was released on parole and returned to the United States for “further processing.”
ICE also confirmed that the New York City Police Department arrested Ybarra on August 31, 2023 and “charged him with conduct with injury to a child under 17 years of age and motor vehicle license violation.” He was released to the public again.
Riley’s brother, Diego Jose Ibarra, was also detained on suspicion of showing police a fake green card during the investigation into Riley’s death.
Diego Jose Ybarra (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)
Fox News reports that both brothers have also had “past run-ins with Athens-Clarke County police,” including a September 2023 incident for allegedly shoplifting from a local Walmart. It was reported.
That same month, local authorities charged Diego with driving under the influence and driving without a license.
Yet the brothers remained free.
“Trauma affects us all,” Gertz said in response to constant jeers from the crowd. “I understand that we are all deeply hurt after such a great tragedy, and that each of us expresses that hurt in different ways.”
According to the mayor, the city’s crime center will finally be completed in 2023 and will “feed public, private and UGA surveillance cameras to a 24-hour staffed law enforcement surveillance facility,” according to Fox News. reported.
This means that law-abiding citizens are also monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
