On Wednesday, in Athens, Georgia, Mayor Kelly Darryl Girtz (D) convened a press conference in the wake of the tragic demise of 22-year-old Laken Riley, at the hands of Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old suspected illegal alien. Amidst repeated disruptions from protestors calling for heightened measures to guarantee public safety, Mayor Girtz insisted on disconnecting immigration from criminal activity.
Described as a beacon of hope, Riley’s lifeless body was discovered on the University of Georgia’s campus last Thursday.
A friend of Riley, alarmed by her failure to return from a routine jog around the university’s intramural fields, reported her missing. Law enforcement officials found Riley unresponsive, and despite efforts at resuscitation, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
UNFVCKING REAL: Democrat mayor of Athens, Kelly Darryl Girtz states that murder Laken Riley is not related to illegal immigration:
“I caution against conflating immigration and crime. The data demonstrates that the two are not connected.” pic.twitter.com/qDOvjhk69I
— I Meme Therefore I Am ?? (@ImMeme0) February 28, 2024
The evident trauma inflicted upon her led investigators to suspect foul play, culminating in the identification of Ibarra as the prime suspect. Subsequent findings revealed that Riley had been mercilessly beaten, suffering catastrophic injuries that gruesomely disfigured her skull, before her body was concealed in a remote location.
Here is the Mayor of Athens, GA telling us we must respect the dignity of migrants, and tries to deflect to Trump and Charlottesville
Laken Riley was just beaten to death under his sanctuary city policies pic.twitter.com/qkD4iqTvIm
— Jack Poso ?? (@JackPosobiec) February 28, 2024
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark clarified during the briefing that Ibarra, believed to be Venezuelan, is an undocumented immigrant. He faces numerous charges, including malice murder and kidnapping, as previously documented by the DC Enquirer. Notably, the NYPD had previously detained Ibarra for a separate offense but released him prior to ICE being able to detain him.
The murder has sparked widespread outrage, with community members expressing their dissatisfaction with Mayor Girtz at the press conference. Girtz stated, “The only acceptable number of murders in this community, the number we tirelessly strive towards, is zero.”
“I urge caution in conflating immigration with crime. The evidence shows no correlation between the two,” Mayor Girtz asserted. He further commented on the ongoing national debate regarding the impact of federal immigration policies on local communities, noting his extensive experience in local government through various federal administrations, all of which, in his view, have failed to reach a consensus on immigration policy.