A coalition of Latino and Hispanic organizations in Georgia signed a Monday letter to the University of Georgia (UGA) President to demand action against alleged “hateful rhetoric and fear mongering” they claim started following the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the university’s campus. Police say Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, killed Riley.
Sent by the GALEO Impact Fund and signed by over 100 organizations and individuals, the letter claims “the community in Athens has been plagued by hateful rhetoric and fear mongering,” with “some Latino students” allegedly “afraid to walk to class alone” following Riley’s death.
Formerly a UGA student, Riley was enrolled in a nursing program that allowed her to participate in UGA campus life at the time of her death. Riley’s roommates reported her missing when she failed to return from a morning run, and her body was found by police less than an hour later.
The letter demands that UGA President Jere Morehead “denounce harassment and hate speech directed toward Latinos” and “bring accountability to anyone seeking to intimidate or harm Latinos” at the university.
GALEO describes its mission as working “to expand and influence Latino political power in Georgia” and assisting “policymakers who align with our progressive values.”
The organization and its cosigners said in their letter, “the narrative has shifted away from the issue of women’s safety,” and claim her death is “instead being used as a cudgel against Latinos and immigrants in our communities.”
GALEO requests a response from Morehead within one week.
In contrast to the claims in the GALEO letter, a number of local officials faced intense scrutiny over alleged sanctuary city policies critics say may have attracted Ibarra to Athens.
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz faced calls for his resignation at a press conference held after Riley’s death after he blamed the Trump administration for a 2019 video that seemed to show him expressing his enthusiasm at Athens becoming a sanctuary city.
The Clarke County Sheriff’s Department similarly faced questions over whether it cooperates with federal law enforcement. In response, the department provided a document explaining it will only briefly hold illegal immigrants, and then only if their immigration detainer is accompanied by allegations of a serious crime.
UGA police, meanwhile, have refused to release details or audio of the 911 call it claims Riley attempted to place before she was killed by Ibarra.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Laken Riley” by GoFundMe.
