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Díaz and Boas: A political firestorm is brewing over the killing of a migrant in southern Arizona

A 73-year-old rancher who lives near the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern Arizona is being charged with murder over the killing of a migrant on his property last month.

George Alan Kelly is being held on a $1 million bond in Santa Cruz County for the shooting death, but his lawyers now say that he denies firing anything but warning shots at smugglers on his property that day. Court records show that the man who was killed, Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, lived in Nogales, Sonora and had been convicted of illegal entry to the U.S. several times.

That’s nearly all we know about this case, but our next guests agree: It could become a political powder keg.

Elvia Diaz is the Editorial Page Editor for the Arizona Republic. She joined The Show along with columnist Phil Boas, who recently penned an opinion piece about all of this.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.