Georgia lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to further tighten the state’s already-strict immigration laws, with local cops soon expected to be forced to scrutinize the immigration status of people in their custody and report undocumented suspects to federal authorities.
The new legislation comes on the heels of the on-campus slaying of Laken Riley at the University of Georgia in February, a grisly crime allegedly carried out at random by an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.
The 22-year-old’s killing has made a significant mark on legislation in Georgia, which was underscored by the passing of Thursday’s measure in the final hours of the legislative session. It’s also grabbed national headlines, with discussion of Riley’s death, along with President Joe Biden’s mispronunciation of her name and use of the word “illegal” to describe her alleged killer, being arguably the most talked-about portion of his State of the Union address.

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