On Friday, May 13, 2011 Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed into law anti-immigration bill HB87. HB87 makes Georgia one of only three states to adopt such stringent anti-immigration law (Arizona and Utah are the others). Under HB87, local law enforcement officers are now empowered to arrest illegal immigrants. How will these “illegal immigrants” be identified? The law essentially legalizes racial profiling and makes Georgia a “show me your papers” state. It essentially allows for racial profiling and this notion in and of itself is unconstitutional. This issue is not an immigration rights issue its a human rights issue!
This is nothing more than a political ploy to take our eyes off the real issue, government misuse of taxpayer dollars. So-called “illegal immigrants” are being blamed for everything wrong in the state of Georgia. What we need is for political leaders to take responsibility for immigration issues in a thoughtful and humane manner.
“This action is not only an insult to the Latino community and other immigrants, but is also an exercise in cheap political pandering that will cost our state dearly, said Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. Here are some of the important provisions of the bill:
July 1
- Local and state police will be empowered to arrest illegal immigrants and take them to state and federal jails.
- People who use fake identification to get a job in Georgia could face up to 15 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
- People who — while committing another crime — knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants or encourage them to come to Georgia could face penalties. First-time offenders would face imprisonment for up to 12 months and up to $1,000 in fines.
- A seven-member Immigration Enforcement Review Board will be established to investigate complaints about local and state government officials not enforcing state immigration-related laws.
- Government officials who violate state laws requiring cities, counties and state government agencies to use E-Verify could face fines up to $10,000 and removal from office.
- The state Agriculture Department will be directed to study the possibility of creating Georgia’s own guest-worker program. Some Georgia employers have complained the federal government’s guest-worker program is too burdensome and expensive.
Jan. 1
- State and local government agencies must start requiring people who apply for public benefits — such as food stamps, housing assistance and business licenses — to provide at least one secure and verifiable document, which could be a state or federally issued form of identification. Consular matriculation cards will not be accepted. The state attorney generals office is required to post a list of acceptable documents on its website by Aug. 1.
Phased in:
- Georgia businesses will be required to use the federal E-Verify program to determine whether their new hires are eligible to work legally in the United States. Businesses with 500 or more employees must start complying with this provisionJan. 1. Businesses with 100 or more employees but fewer than 500 must start complying with this provisionJuly 1, 2012. This requirement applies to businesses with between 11 and 99 employees starting July 1, 2013. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees are exempt.
