The killing of nursing student Laken Riley — and the murder charges filed against a Veneuzuelan man authorities say entered the country illegally — thrust Athens into the center of a political conversation at the national level about securing the border.
It’s placed the local government and law enforcement in the community under scrutiny for their approach to illegal immigration, even sparking criticism from the area’s congressman.
But Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz tells the “Politically Georgia” podcast that he doesn’t “think we’re in an unusual environment here in Athens when you look at the landscape across the country or even across the globe.”
Girtz says he hopes to meet people and have “open dialogue” surrounding the issue of immigration.
“There are all of these national elements around public safety and policing that have landed in the community in terms of discussion,” Girtz says. “And so some of what I’ve tried to do is just be level and to sit down and have cups of coffee with people.”
Under the Gold Dome, Georgia legislators responded to Riley’s death by passing a bill that would penalize sheriffs who do not cooperate with federal immigration officers.
However, some sheriffs worry about new burdens the legislation could put on their jurisdictions.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins has focused criticism on Girtz.
Collins took to Twitter last week to release a series of emails from an open records request where he says Girtz was being too accommodating of immigrants.
🚨 A shocking email exchange reveals troubling priorities of Athens Mayor and Clarke County Sheriff only two days after Laken Riley's murder. 🧵 (1/5)
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) April 4, 2024
Other political issues are also making headlines in Athens.
Flagpole reported that a self-described rabbi who is a member of a fringe group was forcibly removed from a Commission meeting after tearing up a pro-Palestinian sign.
The same day, Flagpole also noted that Commission candidate Stephanie Johnson threatened to take out a restraining order against a local journalist in a letter from her attorney that was vague on details.
“It is unusual when these things come upon you in City Hall,” Girtz says. “You’re just trying to make things work functionally in a very charged environment.”
Tuesday on “Politically Georgia”: Georgia GOP leader Josh McKoon and Stephen Owens, a former official with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, join the show.
