Athens mayor pushes back on immigration criticism following Riley death

There have been times, Girtz said, that federal authorities have cited a lack of resources as a reason not to detain individuals.

“I think this is one of those kinds of questions where we have to very proactively engage as localities with the federal government,” Girtz said on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast.

Athens-Clarke County government, run by mostly progressive politicians like Girtz, has been sharply criticized by federal and state Republican lawmakers for what they say is lax immigration enforcement.

To those levying criticism, including Gov. Brian Kemp, Girtz offered an invitation.

“I would always ask those state and federal officials to come to Athens so we can demonstrate on the ground exactly what we do and exactly how we have yielded success for our community because we can demonstrate that,” Girtz said on the podcast, which also airs on WABE radio.

Immigration lawyers interviewed by the AJC last week said they believed federal authorities would not have detained Ibarra last year if they had been notified by authorities in New York or Athens, citing the minor nature of the earlier charges. Authorities in Athens gave Ibarra a citation for shoplifting last October but did not arrest him.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission on Tuesday night will weigh public safety investments totaling at least $525,000. The University of Georgia announced $7.3 million in campus safety measures last week.

Reflecting the polarized response to the Feb. 22 campus slaying, two groups of demonstrators plan to gather at city hall ahead of the commission meeting. “Make Athens Safe Again” said it will hold a rally at the same time that the “Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement” will hold a “unity vigil.”

Girtz spoke at a press conference last week and was frequently interrupted by demonstrators, some of whom called for his resignation.

Girtz, mayor since 2018 with two years remaining in his final term, maintains the city’s policies on immigration and crime have been successful.

“Athens is a safe place, relative to so many others, but we’re not going to be satisfied until we have no murders and no assaults in a year,” Girtz said Tuesday.

In Athens-Clarke County, with a population of roughly 130,000, murders have been in the single digits every year since 2009. Before last week, UGA’s campus hadn’t seen a homicide since 1996.

Riley’s slaying led to immediate efforts to pass stricter state-level immigration laws.

Georgia’s Republican-led General Assembly is considering empowering law enforcement to arrest anyone with probable cause suspected of being in the country illegally. A committee advanced the proposal last week. Lawmakers are also weighing whether to require that local governments coordinate with federal authorities on immigration issues.

“We’ve all seen very reactive legislative responses to trauma and tragedy,” Girtz said. “This legislation may be painting with too broad a brush.”

In Athens-Clarke County, officials check the criminal history of people in custody and keep people detained with outstanding warrants, but they don’t jail immigrants who are in the country illegally if they have no other criminal history.

Girtz said his approach going forward will be to lead what he calls a “welcoming community” in Athens.

“We do the best when we wrap our arms around each other,” he said, “and we recognize our common humanity.”

Credit: Fletcher Page/AJC

Credit: Fletcher Page/AJC