Latino community also grieves Laken Riley’s death [Video]

ATHENS, Ga. — The national conversation about immigration has been thrust back into the spotlight after Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was killed while she was out for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus. As a community grieves, others have made her death a focal point in the conversation of U.S. border security, with some Latinos saying they’ve been caught in the middle of hateful rhetoric.

Authorities have named Jose Antonio Ibarra the suspect in the 22-year-old’s death. Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, had entered the United States illegally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Latinx individuals said his arrest had fostered charged conversations about immigration, making them the target for intense emotions people are feeling about Riley’s death.

“What are the odds of that happening in Athens, Georgia?” Alan Alfaro said.

Alfaro joined his friend, Jonathan Florencio, in a vigil held Monday …