The sheriff of the Georgia county in which an illegal alien brutally murdered Laken Riley campaigned on an explicit promise not to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Newly released 2020 video footage shows John Williams, then campaigning to be Athens-Clarke County Sheriff, stating his intent to not cooperate with ICE in enforcing detainers of criminal illegal aliens. “It is not my intention to cooperate with detainers…we can’t help with a culture of fear in our community and expect our community to respond and help us in situations,” Williams says.
Revelations of his anti-immigration-enforcement stance come as his community reels from the murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, killed by 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra.
The sheriff’s unearthed comments have intensified the scrutiny of the city of Athen’s stance on public safety. Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz face hecklers during a news briefing when outlining plans to enhance public safety measures for the city. Residents challenged Girtz over the city’s alleged sanctuary status. Girtz dismissed the allegation. “There’s been no legislation from this government that’s created sanctuary city status,” he claimed.
Former President Donald Trump blamed Joe Biden’s open-border policies for Riley’s murder.