‘Politically Georgia’: Athens mayor faces critics over immigration policy

Wednesday on “Politically Georgia,” hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell talk to professors Andra Gillespie, Fred Smith and Tammy Greer.

First up, just an hour before we went on air, Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz held a press conference to address the killing of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus. The suspect in custody in Riley’s death is Jose Ibarra, a man who authorities say entered the county illegally. Community members heckled Girtz as tension ran high. Fred Smith, who grew up in Athens, said, “This is a senseless tragedy felt all across the community.”

Girtz defended the fact that Athens is not a sanctuary city. This is correct as Georgia law prohibits cities and counties from adopting a sanctuary policy and requires local governments to certify they’re complying with federal immigration policies. But Athens-Clarke County is among several municipalities that have limited their cooperation with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.