Latino community leaders from across the state will gather in Athens starting on Tuesday for a two-day convention. Set to take place just weeks after Athens became a searing-hot flashpoint in the national immigration debate, the meeting was organized by the Latinx Alliance, a loose consortium of influential Hispanic Georgians from Latino-serving nonprofits and the private sector.
Founded in 2021, the Latinx Alliance has mostly held its general meetings in Atlanta, where members discuss issues of import to Hispanic and immigrant community members. Alliance leadership had planned its first trip to Athens before the Feb. 23 arrest of Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant charged in the killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Federal authorities say Ibarra illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022.
Ibarra’s alleged role in Riley’s death has caused anxiety in Athens over the potential for xenophobic backlash. Hispanic students at the University of Georgia have also expressed concern. During their time in Athens, Latinx Alliance members will visit Latino neighborhoods and learn more about local Hispanic community members’ experiences in recent weeks.
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