The "most comprehensive illegal immigration proposal ever to come before the Georgia Legislature" made it out of committee Tuesday, and will likely spark a major Senate showdown in the near future.
Senate Bill 529, known as the "Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act" was approved by a 5-2 vote of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, with four Republicans and one Democrat voting for, and two Democrats voting against.
This is a much-needed response to the almost 1 million illegal immigrants in Georgia (although even the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cannot give an accurate estimate, listing the number as "between 250,000 and 800,000") who benefit from the state's taxpayer-supported programs while avoiding paying into the system.
"If this bill in its present form makes it into law, it will be the strongest [immigration] law in America," said state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock),one of the bill's sponsors.
The bill, which is expected to pass in this election year when almost 80% of Georgians want this issue addressed, would "prohibit adult illegal immigrants from receiving many taxpayer-funded benefits, financially penalize private employers who hire illegals, require employers with public contracts to verify that their workers are in the country legally, and crack down on human trafficking." It would not, however, "prohibit the children of illegal immigrants from attending public school, nor would it deny them certain medical benefits, such as emergency medical care, prenatal care and immunizations." Federal courts have already guaranteed most of these benefits.
Senator Steen Miles (D-Decatur), who voted against the "draconian" bill, said "the message here is simple: 'If you're brown, get outta town.'" She maintained that the federal government should be dealing with illegal immigration, not the state. "If we can't keep them out of the United States, how can we keep them out of Georgia?" she asked.
Sen. Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta) also thought that this should be a federal issue. "We cannot be a substitute for the failure of national policy," he said. Last we checked, kidnapping was also a federal crime, and under federal jurisdiction; given these statements (by Miles and Zamarripa), one cannot help but wonder whether Georgia Democrats would prefer to tie law enforcement's hands when it comes to dealing with that and other federal crimes within the state.
D.A. King of Cobb County, a grassroots activist who has been fighting for a tougher government stance on illegal immigration in Georgia, said he is "pleased" with the bill. "In its present state, it's the most effective bill in the country," King said. "And I think it could get stronger before the end of the process."
No comments:
Post a Comment