Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs immigration enforcement bill pushed following Laken Riley’s killing

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed immigration enforcement legislation Wednesday pushed in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s death.

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed immigration enforcement legislation pushed in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s death. Kemp said at the signing that the legislation, which was sent to his desk in late March, “became one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley,” who was found dead on the University of Georgia’s campus in February. After Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with the murder of Riley, Republican lawmakers have used the incident to push for stricter immigration policies. “If you enter our country illegally and proceed to commit further crimes in our communities, we will not allow your crimes to go unanswered,” Kemp said at the signing. The measure signed Wednesday, HB 1105, requires local and state law officials to verify the immigration status of those over the age of 18 who have been arrested, those in detention or those who an “officer has probable cause to believe” have committed a crime. Local law enforcement agencies who do not cooperate with immigration officials could lose state funding, and local officials who do not work with immigration authorities could face misdemeanor charges.