Brian Kemp as quoted by 11 Alive news and delivered here today by Georgia pundit.

[Discussing HB 1105, “The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024”:]

“This is a state of almost 11 million people,” he said. “And I think people were outraged, and I was too about the whole Laken Riley tragic murder that we saw and somebody that had broken into this country illegally and had been apprehended two different times and was still here, you know, and we didn’t even know he was here.”

Kemp said they talked to municipalities, sheriff’s offices, and others about the bill.

“I think at the end of the day; we got a good piece of legislation that will help with the issue here, to make sure when somebody gets arrested that we’re, you know, checking to make sure that they’re here legally.”

The below was transcribed by Rev.com from Gov. Kemp’s presentation to the Athens-Clarke County “Pancakes and Policy” event on  Feb 26, 2024.  Video here.

GA Gov Brian Kemp:

“…Michael and appreciate you taking a second tour of duty, um, as chamber president this year, and I certainly want to thank David as the rest of the team for having Marty and I this morning. Uh, I’m glad to be a member of the Athens Clark County Chamber of Commerce, appreciate what you guys are doing every day to plug for small businesses in this community and a lot of other great pieces of the fabric of the Athens, Georgia community.

Uh, like Michael said, our hearts are breaking this morning for the family of Laken Riley. I had the honor of speaking to her parents over the weekend and though they are bearing the pain that no parent should ever endure in having to plan for burying their child, they’re thankful for our prayers and our ongoing justice to see Lee- Laken’s killer brought to justice.

Marty and I will continue to keep their family, their friends and the university community in our thoughts and prayers. This community, all of Georgia, and the entire country have been rocked by this inexcusable and avoidable murder. Laken’s life should not have ended so soon and we need to demand justice for what happened to her. She deserves justice, her family deserves justice, and we need justice on a national level to prevent this type of thing from happening again.

Laken’s death is a direct result of failed policies on the federal level and an unwillingness by this White House to secure the southern border. We need to demand better from this administration, and that’s something that I’ve been doing since I’ve taken office, along with other governors across the country. And we’ve renewed that call multiple times, including again this weekend when I sent a letter to the president demanding more information on the illegal immigrants in our country, where they are and if they’ve broken any of our laws. Because of the president’s failures, we don’t know all that we should, but we do know this, more than eight and a half million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since President Biden took office.

In November of last year alone, over 1700 pounds of Fentanyl were seized at the southern border. Nearly 16,000 pounds of meth. 169 people on the terror watch list were encountered at the southern border in fiscal year 2023, setting an all-time record. Those drugs, weapons and dangerous criminals that aren’t stopped at the border head to other states, just like ours. In fact, there was a 55% increase in cases involving Fentanyl seizures here in Georgia by the GBI between 2022 and 2023. And that doesn’t even include all the seizures by local law enforcement.

It is an understatement to say that this is a major crisis, and because of the White House’s failures, every state, as I’ve said repeatedly, is now a border state, and Laken Riley’s murder’s just the latest proof of that. Just yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that her killer was in the country illegally, that he had been arrested in 2022 and was paroled and released back onto our streets. He was then arrested again last year in New York for trying to hurt a child, and other charges. That is a failure of our system on multiple levels and at multiple times, and it has res- resulted in a young woman’s death. That is inexcusable. And in the absence of any real effort by the Biden Administration to step up and address this crisis, as they continue to ignore the calls for meaningful policy change that governors like me have made for well over two years, I have committed further resources to help and secure the southern border and keeping our citizens safe.

We already have the longest continuous presence of state guardsmen stationed on the border of any state, going back to when I first took office. Earlier this month, following my fifth trip to the southern border, I announced that we would send more troops to Texas in building, to help in building a command center on the border of, with Mexico. And we’re already putting more and more resources into public safety, including to pay for state law enforcement to retain and attract talented men and women who will keep our streets safe.

I want to thank the General Assembly, I know, uh, a bunch of the local delegation is here this morning, for giving final passage to the Peace Officer Loan Repayment legislation we introduced last year. All of these measures and more are designed with the same goal, to keep Georgians like you safe, to keep Georgians’ neighborhoods safe, to keep our schools safe, and to keep our businesses safe, because everyone should feel secure in their local community. And as we further strengthen the places we call home, we will continue to build on great opportunities here in our state, and I know that’s what you all at the Chamber are doing every single day and we appreciate so much your partnership with us. Those efforts have brought 177 projects, over 20,300 new jobs and $13.4 billion in investment to just this region of Georgia since I first took office.

Cue the race-baiting and accusations of “anti-immigrant hate” from the corporate-funded leftists and breathless, inaccurate “news” from the usual suspects in the media. My apologies for the repetition. (Note: the AP news report linked above is the corrected version of the story that was done after our inquiry and complaint to AP writer Jeff Amy).

Call it a proposal for a law that essentially says we should enforce the law. In Rep Jesse Petrea’s HB 1105, for the first time in far too many years – thirteen, by my count – there is legislation pending under the Gold Dome that will serve to reduce the American casualties inflicted by the criminal aliens swarming over Georgia.

Petrea’s bill will create criminal penalties for jailers who have been allowed to defy state law on “sanctuary” policies. Pro-enforcement conservatives hope to see the bill significantly improved, sharpened, and expanded.

Note to Rep Petrea and Republican legislators: The newfound press attention to criminal aliens and the baseless Alinsky-inspired smears coming your way is all a normal, rehearsed, boiler plate drill by the illegal alien lobby. This writer has considerable experience with the non-profit orgs that can be counted on to oppose anyimmigration enforcement. The recommendation from here?: Press on to final passage.

 Legislators and sane Georgia voters should consider the source of the unhinged effort to derail the ‘Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act.’

As one example, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials Inc. was one of the many Marxist concerns that sent lobbyists to the Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the bill in the House committee process. In a recent media release, GALEO’s CEO, the notorious opponent of immigration enforcement, Jerry Gonzalez, used Laken Riley’s brutal murder to advance his solution for what Gov. Kemp referred to in 2018 as “criminal illegals.”

If you wade through the accusations of “anti-immigrant rhetoric,” “white nationalist agenda” and warnings of coming “hate crimes,” Gonzalez uses the tragedy in Athens to promote his group and as a vehicle to push for illegal alien amnesty. Apparently aware that the first two hundred thirty six names in the Hahira phone book likely have about as much knowledge on immigration as many Georgia legislators, Gonzalez tries to convince them that HB 1105 should be abandoned because “…a U.S Court of Appeals struck Georgia’s HB 87, also known as the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act,” over a decade ago” – which is an intentional lie. The truth is that the court enjoined one of the law’s twenty-three sections. Because GALEO joined with the SPLC, the ACLU,  and various other anti-enforcement corporations in a federal lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the law, Gonzalez knows the truth.

The hateful Gonzalez/GALEO media release titled “Rejecting divisive rhetoric…” is a must read for the uninitiated.

In addition to funding from Georgia Power and a list of other Georgia corporations, it should not go unnoted that GALEO Inc. has also been a recipient of a recent grant from the disgraced and discredited champions of smear – the SPLC.

Space does not allow more than a linked beginners guide to some of the other non-profit groups that are lobbying in the state Capitol against HB 1105, but here is a partial education: Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (“Divest from the Deportation State!”). Georgia Familias Unidas led by Maria Del Rosario Palacios, the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, aka “GLAHR”, the (restricted) Latino Community Fund, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, and the Georgia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. – yes, that CAIR.

• Related reading: Abolish ICE! Marxist Georgia group (GLAHR) led by a Mexican citizen screams at passing traffic

GOP lawmakers who may have a difficult time maintaining an aggressive,  pro-enforcement approach to HB 1105 in the current storm of abuse by these Biden supporters should take a look at our February poll of Republican Primary voters on illegal immigration in Georgia.

Republican lawmakers must end the “ya’ll come!” practice of creating reward magnets for illegal aliens

It should always be noted that only six states host more illegal aliens than we do here in Georgia. And that there would be far fewer if the Republican-controlled legislature would end the practice of creating a magnet for more to come by passing bills that offer benefits as rewards for moving in.  Examples? The Registered Apprenticeship Program, the Dual Enrollment program, and endless Georgia Chamber of Commerce-ordered bills directed at ending the verification of lawful presence for issuing occupational licenses to name a few.

We will examine those anti-enforcement gems and the vote records here soon.

A closing question: Has anybody in the media asked Dalton Republican Rep Kasey Carpenter about his reasoning for voting with the Democrats against HB 1105 last week?

 D.A. King is the president of the Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com .

The column above was originally posted on the subscription news and opinion outlet James Magazine Online,  March 7, 2024.

We told you so https://jamesmagazinega.com/2020/12/08/metro-atlanta-more-dangerous-after-election-of-progressive-sheriffs/

Much of GOP Georgia is a sanctuary state – Brian Kemp, Chief Executive

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 404-656-1776

Pro-enforcement eyes around the nation should watch Republican-ruled Georgia to see if the House passes HB 1105, the ‘Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act” before the crossover deadline on Feb. 29. Two state laws barring sanctuary policies have been in place since the 2000’s but have no penalties and are widely ignored by nearly half of the 159 county sheriffs. The pending bill would put a compliance verification system and criminal penalties for violations into the laws.

The measure is stuck in the House Public Safety committee. Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp campaigned on ending “sanctuary cities” but has remained silent on the bill while the corporate-funded, anti-enforcement lobby opposes passage and the GA. Sheriff’s Association is openly working to gut the legislation. Dustin Inman Society activist D.A. King is leading the fight for passage. He says he needs help with public awareness and contact to Gov Kemp urging him to stand up for passage. King has recent poll numbers on his side. DHS estimates show that only six states host more illegal aliens than Georgia. GA media is as silent on the entire matter as Gov. Brian Kemp.

How to help:  Twitter / X: @BrianKempGA (Capitol office 404-656-1776)   @GaHouseGOP / @GASenateGOP @DAKDIS