‘Athens Rides’ offers lifeline for undocumented immigrants

By Allison Salerno | Edited by Patricia Guadalupe

Alondra López, a graduate student at the University of Georgia, was troubled by the anti-immigrant rhetoric she said arose on campus following the brutal murder on February 22, 2024, of Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, by an undocumented migrant from Venezuela. Riley’s murder drew national attention; the Laken Riley Law was the first piece of legislation President Trump signed in his second term and requires federal officials to detain any migrant charged or arrested in connection with a crime.

In the weeks following Riley’s murder on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, “The university environment became more hostile,” said López, a doctoral student in counseling psychology. In addition to friends telling her ab