“The question is... is that why take any risk?” said WWL’s Newell Normand this week regarding illegal immigration in the wake of Laken Riley’s death. “To what end and for what purpose? If, in fact, the individuals that are coming to this country are violating the law from the get go.”
Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., who was found murdered this February. A suspect in her murder was arrested late last month. He was identified as Jose Antonio Ibarra, a man from Venezuela who entered the country illegally in 2022, according to NBC News.
Following the news of her death, the situation became a talking point for politicians on both side of the aisle during discussions about immigration. President Joe Biden even mentioned it (though he called her Lincoln) during his recent State of the Union address.
Her father, Jason Riley, recently asked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to declare a state of invasion. Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz defended the city’s policies, per NBC News. According to 11 Alive, Girtz previously approved a resolution welcoming people of all immigration statuses into the city, but he has stressed that Athens is not a “sanctuary city.”
“More and more people are connecting these dots in spite of those like the mayor of Athens, Ga., the town where Ibarra… it’s where he killed Laken Riley, says that criminal behavior and illegal immigration – they’re not connected,” said Normand. “He said that in a press conference shortly after the crime occurred, and he cautioned against conflating immigration… well, let’s say it should be illegal immigration and crime – and contended that the data demonstrates that the two are not connected.”
However, Normand thinks it is risky to ignore the implications of Riley’s death.
“Why would we allow a situation without any vetting?” he said. Listen to his full thoughts here.