Georgia
Georgia lawmakers push immigration bills in response to UGA student's death – Georgia Recorder

The killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week shocked and horrified people far beyond Athens. On Monday, the immigration status of the suspect in her killing reignited a debate over immigration policy in the Georgia Legislature and appears to have increased the odds of immigration-related legislation becoming state law.
According to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan, entered the country illegally in 2022 and was previously arrested in New York and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child, according to news reports. Athens-Clarke County Police Department documents show Ibarra was also cited in Athens for shoplifting in October and had a bench warrant for his arrest for failing to show up to court.
Ibarra remains in police custody after he was denied bond over the weekend.
Gov. Brian Kemp, who announced earlier this month that the Georgia National Guard would deploy additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, continued to place the blame for Riley’s death on federal immigration policy and President Joe Biden.
“Look, the president could come out and change policies today,” Kemp said during a Monday appearance on Fox News. “He could simply signal with the bully pulpit of the White House, ‘local law enforcement, please, if you have these people that are here, that are illegal, that are non-citizens and they commit a crime in our country, please notify ICE.’ It’s as simple as that. ICE can work with local governments, with state governments to deal with these people and hopefully prevent situations like we saw with Laken.”
Top Democrats accused the GOP majority of playing politics during a time of tragedy.
“The majority saw her death as an opportunity to promote and defend Donald Trump,” said Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler. “Georgia’s Republicans rushed to blame President Biden for this murderous presence in Athens.”
Butler criticized congressional Republicans for walking away from a border bill with concessions to border security, arguing that leaving the bill on the table allows Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, to campaign on the issue.
“Our border crisis continues because Donald Trump has convinced one party that the only thing that matters is putting Donald Trump first, no matter the cost.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff also sought to blame Trump for what he called an immigration crisis.
“The situation at the southern border is a real crisis,” said Ossoff after paying a visit to the state House and Senate Monday and leading a moment of silence for Riley. “And as I’ve said repeatedly over the years, for too long, too many Democrats have been unwilling to acknowledge that we need legislation, and we need implementation. And that’s why the former president’s decision to deliberately tank the bipartisan border security legislation that was proceeding through the Senate was so destructive, in my view, to our national security.”
In a fiery floor speech, Cumming Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal said Biden has been too soft on immigration.
“We were lectured during the debate and given the left-wing talking point that no human is illegal,” he said. “Was Laken’s murderer illegal? We talk about we need more laws. We need more of this. We need more of that. No we don’t. We need to enforce the laws that are on the books.”
Proposed laws
At least three House Republicans believe Georgia does need more laws.
Athens Republican Rep. Houston Gaines’ HB 1359 passed through a committee Monday. If it becomes law, it would let homeowners get a refund on their property taxes if their local government does not enforce laws, including by adopting a sanctuary policy.
“We’ve seen here over the last five days just the devastating consequences of local governments and the federal government not doing its job, not enforcing laws,” Gaines said. “The federal government obviously has totally failed when it comes to our southern border, we’ve seen that repeatedly, but in I live in Athens, and Athens-Clarke County, our local government has failed as well, and frankly, there are things that could have been done and should have been done over many years that unfortunately resulted in this absolute tragedy in our community last week.”
His legislation and any other bill has until Thursday to pass one chamber if it is to have a clear path to becoming law this year.
Rep. Jesse Petrea’s House Bill 1105 would make it an aggravated misdemeanor for jailers not to keep track of data on inmates who are not U.S. citizens, including their immigration status and country of origin.
When someone is sent to jail and is determined to be undocumented, officers are supposed to send information to ICE. If the immigration agency wants the person, it can send a detainer or a warrant, said Terry Norris, executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association
“The warrant has greater significance than a detainer,” Norris said. “Many times, though, when somebody’s arrested and he goes through this process, ICE or the law enforcement support group, they don’t give you anything back because they don’t know these people. I mean, they haven’t encountered this person, so they don’t know that they’re even in the country.”
“If there’s no warrant put on them or a hold put on them by the federal authorities, then really after 24 hours, they’ll release them if they make bond,” he said.
Petrea said some sheriffs do not report that data to ICE.
“Sadly, you have sheriffs all over the state who are not doing so, some certainly intentionally not not doing so,” the Savannah Republican, said.
Petrea said he’s been working on issues like this for years, but this one might gain more attention because of the shocking nature of the current case.
“Sadly, yes, people become more knowledgeable about it when a horrible tragedy occurs, but that isn’t the only one,” Petrea said.
Dallas Republican Martin Momtahan’s House Bill 1102 calls on the Department of Public Safety to make a regular list of inmates whose sentences are nearly up and who are in the country illegally. Every 30 days, the department would send the list to the attorney general’s office, which could file for a writ of transfer of the inmate to a “sanctuary state,” defined as a state that restricts law enforcement from communicating with federal agencies about immigration status.
Norris said he supports the idea behind the sheriff bills, but he would prefer some tweaks.
“We’re not in favor of reporting to the Department of Audits, but we are in favor of expanding our jail report to ask a few questions about illegals that are arrested, how many have been arrested, for instance, how many reports to ICE, how many detainers came back and how many warrants came back,” he said.
Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.

Georgia
Georgia man arrested in connection with multiple residential, vehicle burglaries in Doral

DORAL, Fla. – A 27-year-old Georgia man appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Saturday after being arrested in connection with a string of residential and vehicle burglaries in Doral, authorities said.
Leer en español
Doral police said Lawrence Trevonne Young, of Fayetteville, is accused of stealing a vehicle and breaking into multiple homes and cars in the Doral Landings East community on Thursday.
According to investigators, Young entered a home through a garage door left open, while the residents were asleep, and took credit cards, personal documents, vehicle keys, laptops and other valuables.
Police also said that he stole a 2023 Kia Sportage valued at $21,000.
They said surveillance footage showed a man matching Young’s description walking through the neighborhood around 1:25 a.m., opening car doors and entering several properties.
Investigators said stolen credit cards were later used at stores including CVS and Target, with purchases totaling more than $1,000. Store surveillance and witness statements, including from an Uber driver, helped police identify Young.
Doral police confirmed the arrest of Young on Friday. At the time of his arrest, they said he was found with five credit cards belonging to two of the victims.
Jail records show Young faces charges in two separate cases, including burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft, and multiple counts of fraudulent use of credit cards and personal identification.
His total bond was set at $80,500 after a judge found probable cause for all charges.
The judge also issued a stay-away order, prohibiting Young from contacting five victims in connection with the incidents. He was also banned from entering the Doral Landings East community.
He is due back in court later this month.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Georgia
Obituary for Georgia Lea Couch Butler at Southern Funeral Home Winnfield

Georgia
Why Barry Odom dismissed 1 Purdue football player, added Georgia transfers with driving arrests
Purdue football coach Barry Odom on roster building philosophy
Barry Odom now has the roster he’ll take into fall camp. How did Purdue build its 2025 roster and what’s next for the Boilermakers?
Purdue Athletics Communications
- Two incoming Purdue football transfers from Georgia were suspended for driving arrests before entering their names in the portal.
- Purdue football brought in 26 transfers in the spring portal after bringing in 29 last winter.
- Odom explained how he and his staff vetted players before accepting them, and how he views second chances.
Barry Odom emphasized discipline as a bedrock principle for his Purdue football tenure.
He established it with expectations for attention and attendance at his first Boilermaker team meetings. He reinforced it with the “Winning Edge” program — grueling, up-tempo offseason workouts designed to enhance mental toughness as much or more than physical skills.
When freshman safety Antonio Parker was arrested on drug charges and other infractions weeks after arriving on campus, Odom dismissed him from the team. It sent a message about standards and expectations.
It did not, though, establish a blanket zero-tolerance policy toward players with run-ins with law enforcement.
The recent vehicle-related infractions of Georgia transfers NiTareon “Nitro” Tuggle and Marques Easley do not belong in the same legal conversation as Parker’s crime. Yet they illustrated the sometimes murky waters into which coaches must wade when rebuilding a roster via the transfer portal.
Relationships with high school recruits are built over months or years. In the portal, they sometimes come together in a matter of days. Odom said his staff does what it can to build a network of sources for all incoming players on that truncated timeline.
Our book on Purdue men’s basketball’s Final Four run makes the perfect Father’s Day gift
“We’ve all made mistakes, or I certainly know I have,” Odom said in a Thursday video interview with local media. “I think there’s education pieces that I’m responsible for. … You’ve got to decide No. 1, did he make a mistake? OK, why did he make it? Has he learned from it? Are we willing enough to have him in our program because he was issued a citation?
“I’m not the only one making those decisions. There’s a number of people that go into stamping yes or no. But we also feel like the culture, the surrounding people that we have that are part of our organization, that we’re in a position that it becomes the DNA of who we are on doing the right things and protecting the team and becoming great student-athletes at Purdue.”
Tuggle and Easley came to Purdue from a Georgia program notorious for vehicle-related legal issues.
Tuggle, a wide receiver, was arrested for speeding and reckless driving on March 19. The police report asserted he was driving 107 mph in a 65 mile-per-hour zone. In a plea deal, Tuggle pleaded guilty to speeding in exchange for dismissal of the reckless driving.
Easley, an offensive lineman, was charged with three counts of reckless conduct and one count of reckless driving after crashing his vehicle into the front of an apartment complex on March 22. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, investigating troopers said in the crash report they found evidence of “laying drag” — intentionally skidding the car.
Per online court records, Easley’s case has not reached resolution. At the time he and Tuggle entered the portal, both players had been suspended by Georgia.
According to the Banner-Herald, Georgia players or support staff members have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or racing in 32 incidents since Jan. 15, 2023. That’s the date football player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash.
Odom said his staff scrutinizes every incoming player, not merely those with a public incident in their past. They look for evidence of a love for the game. They make sure the players know the academic commitment at Purdue exceeds that expected at many other institutions.
“If all of those things align, then we know structurally they will thrive in our system,” Odom said.
Another incoming player, safety Myles Slusher, was suspended by Arkansas after a 2022 arrest for disorderly conduct. He served a one-game suspension and left the program soon after. That’s three players with public brushes with the law out of the 26 signed in the spring window.
Transferring to Purdue provided both Tuggle and Easley a chance to move closer to home, and further from Athens. Tuggle played at Northwood, located southeast of South Bend. Easley grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and played at Kankakee (Illinois) High School, located south of Chicago and about 90 minutes from Ross-Ade Stadium.
Odom said both players could make an impact quickly. The Boilermakers need playmakers, and Tuggle was a four-star, borderline top-100 prospect out of high school. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Easley was also a four-star prospect, ranked in the top 200 per some services.
He retains four years of eligibility, while Tuggle comes with three. Odom said he’s been impressed with Tuggle’s linear speed and ability to change directions. Easley has “transformed his body” to better use his “exceptional feet.”
Those attributes show up on film. Recent events meant Odom and his staff had to be sure about their evaluation in other areas, too.
“Any time you’re going to try to recruit a young man to your campus you make sure they’re a fit in every single area,” Odom said. “And if they’re not, it doesn’t matter how good of a player you think they are. It’ll never work.”
Catch all the Star’s Purdue sports coverage with the Boiler Update newsletter.
-
News1 week ago
Video: Faizan Zaki Wins Spelling Bee
-
News1 week ago
Video: Harvard Commencement Speaker Congratulates and Thanks Graduates
-
Politics1 week ago
Michelle Obama facing backlash over claim about women's reproductive health
-
Technology1 week ago
AI could consume more power than Bitcoin by the end of 2025
-
News1 week ago
President Trump pardons rapper NBA YoungBoy in flurry of clemency actions
-
Technology1 week ago
SEC drops Binance lawsuit in yet another gift to crypto
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be a ‘super assistant’ for every part of your life
-
World1 week ago
Two killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine before possible talks in Turkiye