Georgia Piedmont Technical College screenshot “lawful presence” https://www.gptc.edu/future-students/admissions/new-students/
Search Results for: politics georgia
Ga. Law: Jailers must report incarcerated illegal aliens to feds – from Insider Advantage Georgia (file copy: Re: OCGA 42-4-14)
In 2011, Aurelio Mayo Perez, an illegal alien, was booked into the Cobb County jail for no driver’s license but released due to an immigration enforcement reduction edict from then-President Barack Obama. Two years later, Mayo Perez was charged with aggravated child molestation and rape. The name of the ten-year old girl he was convicted of repeatedly molesting is not available.
Sheriffs Craig Owens, Cobb County (L) and Keebo Taylor, Gwinnett County (R). Photo WSB TV/Twitter
Last week, newly sworn Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens held an elaborate press conference packed with invited anti-enforcement activists and proudly announced his termination of the 287(g) program. The Marietta Daily Journal described the event’s big finish with “…as the event ended, and a mariachi band began to play, the mood in the room was decidedly celebratory. The new sheriff even took to the floor and waltzed for a moment, reveling in his audience’s approval.”
Cobb County Deputy Sheriff Loren Lilly – killed in a 2007 traffic crash by an unlicensed illegal alien driver – was unable to attend.
Democrat Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid pronounced Owens’ decision “bold, necessary, and overdue.” Cobb’s new District Attorney, Flynn Broady weighed in with “this is going to make our community safer.” We recommend reading the entire MDJ report
Created by congress in 1996, and signed into law by Bill Clinton, the voluntary 287(g) program is a tool used to expand the authority of local law enforcement to locate and report illegal aliens to ICE illegal aliens in county jails. It’s a deterrent. Then-Senator Joe Biden voted in favor of passage.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Owens claims “the program morphed into one that profiled immigrants through traffic stops, which resulted in them being deported on misdemeanor charges.” While Sheriff Owens – a former Cobb County policeman – is certainly free to smear his fellow law enforcement officers with accusations of profiling, he should understand that it’s illegal aliens who are deported and that removal is the punishment for illegal immigration, not traffic violations.
Jose Alfaro-Contraras, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was one of the gunmen in an April, 2015 armed robbery of the owner of a check-cashing store in Duluth. A year earlier, Alfaro-Contraras had been in the Gwinnett County jail on a shoplifting charge. He was released because “minor crime.”
The above examples are taken from a 2017 report “Jail records reveal immigrants not deported after minor crimes later commit worse ones” from Atlanta’s Fox Five TV News investigative reporter Randy Travis.
In Gwinnett, on his first day in office, Sheriff Keybo Taylor made his enforcement policy clear when he quit the 287(g) program: “What we will not be doing is notifying ICE of anybody’s immigration status in the jail or any of our facilities…” said Taylor at his own presser. He told a local NPR interviewer 287(g) is slanted towards “people of color.”
“So basically, what that program started to do was target, uh, you know, people of color that were in this country that’s undocumented, so, you know, it became, you know, a racist issue for me…”,
He says he would rather focus on gang members. I was curious, so I checked with experts on gangs in Gwinnett and the skin color concern Taylor expressed. But on that topic Sheriff Taylor does have concerns about borders “…crime and criminals…they don’t, they do not respect borders, so, you know, it’s nothing to come from Atlanta to Gwinnett County…” says Taylor. Indeed.
In print and radio interviews, both sheriffs have done a remarkable job of learning and adhering to the anti-287(g) talking points distributed by the far-left. Below are some of those tips from a 2008 ACLU ‘toolkit.’
‘How to oppose 287(g) agreements in your state or locality’
*Always describe how police enforcement of immigration laws endangers public safety for everyone.
*Assert that local police of immigration laws will result in widespread racial profiling.
*Assert that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government.
*Assert that police resources are stretched thin already.
Is long-standing Ga. law being enforced?
Attention Georgia prosecutors, including Flynn Broady: Independent of 287(g), longstanding (2006) state law (OCGA 42-4-14) requires jailers to check the immigration status of incoming foreign prisoners. “If the foreign national is determined to be an illegal alien, the keeper of the jail or other officer shall notify the United States Department of Homeland Security, or other office or agency designated for notification by the federal government.”
D.A. King is president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society.
Georgia State Rep Sam Watson (R) on American Wages: Then and Now
One of the quotes in the 2012 Sam Watson for State House webpage:
“I am running to represent the hardworking people and families in rural Georgia. As a 3rd generation Colquitt County farmer, I can use my experience in Agribusiness to improve South Georgia’s economy and fight for our shared conservative values.”
A 2021 Rep Sam Watson (R) quote at a Georgia Chamber of Commerce seminar on increasing profits ‘prosperity’:
“Labor costs continue to rise and our global partners are far more competitive. We have to level the playing field.”
#Immigration #Amnesty #ForeignWorkers #Wages
Illegal immigration in Georgia: Former ICE Director Tom Homan Condemns Gov. Brian Kemp
Homan Re: Kemp: “Georgia’s the next California. You’ve got a governor over here that made promises to his constituents, whose been missing in action on that issue,” Homan told the room. “Keep your word and do the right thing.”
The below news piece is from February, 2020 and covered the Dustin Inman Society’s event “Honoring Immigrants: An Expert, Pro-enforcement Conversation on Immigration” in which Mr. Homan was the Keynote Speaker. We repost here as a reminder to all concerned.
FetchYourNews.com
–>February 12, 2020
ATLANTA, Ga – Gov. Brian Kemp received the proverbial earful from former ICE Director Tom Homan over his broken campaign promise to deal with illegal immigration in Georgia.
Homan was the keynote speaker at an event held by the Dustin Inman Society, titled “Honoring Immigrants: An Expert, Pro-Enforcement Conversation on Immigration.”
“Georgia’s the next California. You’ve got a governor over here that made promises to his constituents, whose been missing in action on that issue,” Homan told the room. “Keep your word and do the right thing. We’re not asking you to do anything out of the ordinary. We’re asking you to support the enforcement of the nation’s laws.”
Homan told the room he spoke with a special agent about Kemp, who agreed that Georgia’s governor isn’t following through with his promise to curb illegal immigration.
Kemp’s campaign platform took a tough stance on immigration. He even released a “Track and Deport Plan,” where he promised to “create a comprehensive database to track criminal aliens in Georgia. He will also update Georgia law to streamline deportations from our jails and prisons.”
In 2019, Kemp dissolved a controversial Immigration Enforcement Review Board, which civil rights groups viewed as a harassment tool for anti-immigration groups.
“They talk the talk during the campaign, but they won’t walk the walk,” claimed Homan about most politicians. The only exception being President Donald Trump, who has taken decisive action to prevent illegal immigration in the states.
Homan encouraged attendees to call the governor and hold him accountable for his campaign promises.
Border crossings by the numbers
Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern Border on Feb. 15, 2019, because close to 1 million illegal crossings were occurring.
“72 percent of the crossings were either family units or children by themselves. Children under the age of 18 because of that humanitarian crisis, 50 to 60 percent of border patrol agents were no longer on the lines. They were changing diapers, making formula, making hospital runs,” said Homan.
According to the former ICE Director, the lack of agents on the border contributed to the 68,000 opioid deaths of Americans.
“Border is unprotected; drugs are going to flow. Many investigations clearly show criminal cartels in Mexico manage the entire northern Mexican border…They will get 100 to 150 family units, push them through one sector at one time and tie up all the border patrol assets in that area. Meanwhile, they’re moving the bad guys. The guys that don’t want to turn themselves in and claim asylum. [The cartels are] moving MS13 members and drugs over here,” Homan stated.
Doctors Without Borders reported that 31 percent of women crossing the border experienced some form of sexual assault during their journey.
“Children are dying. The cartel is making millions of dollars a year,” asserted Homan.
He also mentioned the decrease in illegal crossings, which are down 72 percent from the high in May 2019. Homan attributes this reduction directly to Trump and the actions that he has taken, including forcing Mexico to enforce its laws.
14,00 children were in American government custody because a criminal organization haul smuggled them across the border. 2,500 families have been separated. Also, the border patrol has saved 4,000 immigrant lives.
Mexico has reportedly removed 86,000 Central Americans this year.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol published online records pertaining to illegal immigration.
“In Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 To Date (TD), during the month of January, a total of 29,200 individuals were apprehended between ports of entry on our Southwest Border, compared to 32,857 in December and 33,514 in November. In FY19, a total of 851,508 individuals were apprehended between ports of entry on [the] Southwest Border.”
Current numbers for 2020.
ICE Effectiveness
In an effort to clear up misunderstandings about ICE’s role in immigration and arrests, Homan said, “no one ripped a child out of their mother’s arms. It was zero tolerance, not family separation.”
ICE wanted to prosecute people who broke the law, and with zero tolerance, numbers dropped 26 percent in two weeks in the Rio Grande Valley. However, the president stopped the policy after receiving political push back.
Zero Tolerance did result in the separation of families because a child can’t go to the U.S. Marshall if the parent committed a crime.
Homan brought up sanctuary cities and how the policies put ICE agents in danger due to a false narrative that they arrest victims and witnesses.
“89.8 percent of ICE arrests were illegal in the United States and had a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges when arrested because they were locked up in a jail cell,” Homan asserted. “Victims and witnesses shouldn’t be afraid because we’re not looking for them, and we’re not arresting them. Criminal aliens are going to re-offend in the very community in which they live. The immigrant community.” Read the rest here.
Prediction: Georgia Republicans will move to eliminate state E-Verify law in 2022 session
We predict the dollar-first Republicans will try to eliminate the state’s 2011 (HB 87 – see also 2013) E-Verify law that is now treated as optional anyway. We also predict the attempt will have the full approval and participation of the Georgia Chamber and FWD.us.
Update, October 14, 2021. Add removal of effective immigration status verification for occupational licenses to the agenda.
Would Gov Brian Kemp sign such legislation? We think so.
The below is from an Insider Advantage Georgia (subscription) report.
Ralston names new committees
“State Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-Woodstock) was appointed by Ralston to serve as chair of the House Study Committee on Innovative Ways to Maximize Global Talent.
“Georgia House Republicans are committed to keeping Georgia a great place where people of all walks of life can live, work and thrive,” said Rep. Cantrell. “Georgia has consistently outranked the rest of the nation as the best state to do business, and there is no doubt that foreign-born Georgians have contributed greatly to our state’s economic success.”
This study committee was established by House Resolution 11 during the 2021 legislative session and will look at ways to maximize global talent and “provide greater prosperity for all Georgians by identifying and removing barriers to full economic participation that no longer serve the state.” This study committee will report its findings by December 31, 2021.”
Entire report here.
Gov Kemp signs disputed interstate compact bills: An open letter to (most of) Georgia’s Republican lawmakers
“To be clear, I am not in the camp that trusts Gov. Kemp on illegal immigration statements.”
May 10, 2021
Re: HB 34, HB 268, HB 395 – interstate compacts on professional licensing
Dear Georgia Republican state legislators,
The professional licensing compacts you voted for in the 2021 General Assembly are apparently now something of “an issue”. We hope our work from here is connected to your increased interest in and investigation of these bills and how they may effect illegal immigration in Georgia.
Interstate compacts are new to us. But along with other illegal immigration-related code sections I helped create, improve and defend, I have been working on OCGA 50-36 -1 since 2006.
I first noticed HB 34 on the morning of Feb 25 – just hours before it passed the House. After a quick but careful read of the lengthy bill, I sent out emails to several House members alerting them to possible problems the proposed compact may create with the existing eligibility verification system for public benefits. I also called and emailed the Speaker’s office. I confirmed receipt of my email.
I pasted the text of my original Feb. 25 email into the first blog post done on HB 34. I hope you have seen examples of my time consuming write-ups on these bills. I assure you this was not done out of boredom.
A House member who I have known for years followed up on my concerns in February. “…I went to legislative counsel on HB 34 and you were right, D.A…..” I wanted to be wrong.
I also became aware of HB 268 and shortly afterwards, HB395. I knew the Georgia Chamber of Commerce was pushing the compacts contained in this legislation and that these agreements could effect illegal immigration. There are no examples of the GA Chamber advocating on the side of immigration enforcement available to send you.
After the House passed all three of the bills, I sent notes to several members of the senate – including the Senate Majority Leader – asking for line numbers on language that would eliminate my fears that the interstate compacts would reduce security on immigration verification. The only response I received was from my own senator. There was no citation of language that would alleviate my fears. I also personally asked several interested Georgians to ask for the same information from their own senators. I have not talked to anyone who even received a reply.
I also learned about the GORRC and the involvement of the Georgia Secretary of State office in the council’s procedure in consideration of the compact legislation. I continued to pursue the hope that somebody in power would cite language I may have overlooked in the bills to remove my concerns that illegal aliens could access the professional licenses covered in the measures. I spoke to an official in the SoS office, sent a request for comment and information – and again asked for citation of a line number to language that would remove my fears. There was no response other than confirmation of receipt.
I now see a May 6, 2021 opinion letter from legislative counsel to a House member who apparently asked the same question another House member asked about HB 34 in February. This time the opinion is that the sentence “nothing herein prevents the enforcement of any other law of any member state that is not inconsistent with the Compact” represents language that preserves the current system of immigration verification.
I read the cited sentence several times in my review of the bills. I do not agree that it will automatically result in use of verification system – including the affidavit process – in processing applications for professional licenses from applicants with existing credentials from other states. But it is my fervent hope that the most recent opinion reflects how the new laws will actually be implemented.
I need to add that knowledge gained from nearly twenty years of studying illegal immigration and according to retired ICE agents, retired Border Patrol Agents and several Georgia sheriffs, a background check by law enforcement does not reveal illegal immigration status unless the alien has already been arrested and fingerprinted. And that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens have valid Social Security numbers.
My interest in the bills also led me to legislation that put Georgia in an interstate compact on nursing licenses in 2017. (SB 109). I was not aware of that legislation at that time. We will soon know if if the verification system required in OCGA 50-36-1 has been followed in the reciprocal process of licensing nurses from other states since that law was put in place in 2017.
In closing, I respectfully extend my sincere thanks to Rep Chuck Martin for taking the time this month to investigate the effects the legislation may have on illegal immigration and the law requiring verification of ‘lawful presence’ for applicants for professional licenses.
In the recent past an expert on the issue who is willing to help legislators fight illegal immigration in Georgia was not automatically regarded with suspicion.
I respectfully put forth the hope that moving forward, Republican lawmakers ask how legislation may effect illegal immigration before they vote.
So there is no confusion on my message, two opposite opinions on this matter have come out of legislative counsel. I have seen Gov. Kemp’s *signing statements on the three bills.
UPDATE: I have also seen the letter from Reps Belton and Werkheiser to the House Republican caucus asking for help in convincing the governor to sign the bills.
* Compact bills letter to Caucus 2
We will follow up to see actual practice.
To be clear, I am not in the camp that trusts Gov. Kemp on illegal immigration statements.
D.A. King
Georgia Sec of State Office joined in recommendation to pass bills that may dismantle immigration verification
Legislation would put Georgia in interstate compacts on professional licensing – bypass ‘lawful presence’ status checks
Part 2.
In Georgia the Secretary of State Office administers professional licenses.
Photo: WABE News online.
Conservative voters should be asking why Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office joined in a recommendation that at least three anti-enforcement bills “pass as written”
We asked last week if Gov. Brian Kemp will sign several GOP bills that dismantle the system in place to verify ‘lawful presence’ of foreign nationals who apply for professional licenses. We now have more information.
The story so far
The short version is that 2006 state law requires that applicants for public benefits – including professional licenses – go through a verification process intended to prevent illegal aliens from accessing those benefits. Three bills (that we know of) were passed in the 2021 General Assembly that put Georgia in inter-state compacts that contain standardized, reciprocal licensing practices that seem to remove the verification process from Georgia’s system. We asked senior legislative management to dispute our analysis. Nobody did.
Washington’s prestigious Center for Immigration Studies has picked up the story
The bills we know about and their respective professions (and corresponding Gold Dome lobbyists) are HB 34: audiologist and speech language pathologists, HB 268: occupational therapists and HB 395: professional counselors. All Republican sponsored. Our original post has the details.
We have heard sneering criticism of our opposition to dismantling the verification system that include the dismissive rhetorical question “just how many illegal aliens will be filling these positions…?” The answer is we don’t know. And that’s kind of the point.
We do know that if the current law is left in place and actually enforced the answer will be “zero.”
According to the anti-enforcement Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than green card holders.
We also know that if the usual suspects are allowed to put this legislation in place that next year there will be other bills passed that quietly expand the list of “it’s OK if they are here illegally” professions.
We have learned that these three bills went through a review process by the obscure ‘Georgia Occupational Regulation Review Council’ and that the recommendation from the GORRC was to pass the bills as written. It is important to make it clear again that the Georgia Chamber of Commerce urged passage of this legislation as well.
According to the recommendation from the council on each bill “there is a recognizable potential for harm to Georgians by not entering into the (inter-state compact)…” We do not agree. The harm comes from allowing illegal aliens to obtain professional licenses in Georgia because they have already done so in other states.
The recommendation also makes it clear that “during the course of the review, Council staff obtained information from the applicant group… and the Secretary of State Office while also conducting internal research.”
Who sits on the council? Here is a screenshot from the GORRC.
We sent two questions to the SoS office and confirmed receipt but have not received a reply.
Gov Brian Kemp should veto these bills. His office number is 404-656-1776
Part 1, here
There will be a part 3 to this story as we now see that a similar bill that got past us became state law in 2017 regarding nurses. More later, but all concerned need to know that an illegal alien-free Georgia is not part of most Republican legislator’s agenda.
Fast Fact: Georgia House commends well-known race-baiting anti-enforcement activist
Georgia House commends well-known race-baiting anti-enforcement activist, GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez
“California is going to become a Hispanic state and if anyone doesn’t like it they should leave. They ought to go back to Europe.” — Mario Guerra Obledo, co-founder of MALDEF, on the Tom Likus radio show, 1998
The 2021 Republican-controlled Georgia House passed a privileged resolution “recognizing and commending” Jerry Gonzalez. It’s a real head-shaker. And it is lazy lack of attention to official business and another example of timid and misplaced GOP trust in the deceitful Democrats.
Gonzalez is a former lobbyist for the above-mentioned MALDEF mob. He has been leader of Atlanta’s far-left and innocuously named Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) Corporation since 2003.
Privileged resolutions are passed as a group after the House Clerk reads part of each out loud if no member objects. This reading includes the name of the recipient. If no member objects to any part of the bundle presented they all pass. If there is objection, members can have the opportunity to vote on singular resolutions. Put another way, when the clerk read the words “recognizing and commending Jerry Gonzalez…” any house member could have spoken up when the Speaker asked if there were any objections to the adoption of the privileged resolutions…” Nobody did.
A shorter explanation of the process is that lawmakers vote “yes” by remaining silent. Part of this House legislative process can be seen here in a two-minute video.
Jerry Gonzalez (Gerardo Eleazar Gonzalez) is widely known for his contempt for all things conservative and for marching in the streets of Atlanta demanding an end to immigration enforcement. He has proudly lobbied under the Gold Dome against voter ID, use of E-Verify, official English for government, honoring immigration holds in Georgia jails, and for personally escorting self-described illegal aliens into the Georgia Capitol.
In a classic example of why he is tagged “Angry Jerry” the Rome News reported on a 2015 experience diminutive state Rep Katie Dempsey had with Gonzalez when he was removed from an event for screaming at her for supporting immigration enforcement.
From the House Resolution commending and congratulating GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez (HR 305):
“WHEREAS, Jerry’s significant organizational and leadership talents, remarkable patience and diplomacy, keen sense of vision, and sensitivity to the needs of the citizens of this state have earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and associates; and WHEREAS, he is a person of magnanimous strengths with and unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness;…”
The House clerk’s office tells me the recipients of these resolution commendations receive a framed print of the entire document – “with a nice ribbon” for display on their walls. More here.
Will Georgia’s Brian Kemp sign bills to dismantle legal immigration verification?
Photo: Courtesy FetchYourNews.com
Part 1
Kemp voted for the verification system as state senator
Topic may be worthy of consideration at upcoming Republican conventions
The governor can sign, veto or take no action. Legislation becomes law if he does nothing. May 10 is final day in process.
Pro-enforcement Georgians are watching to see if Gov. Brian Kemp signs several Republican bills that apparently quietly begin to dismantle the system that verifies lawful presence of applicants for public benefits. Examples are HB 395, HB 268 and HB 34 .
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce pushed these measures with letters requesting support placed on legislators’ Chamber desks. Two of those letters are posted on the Dustin Inman Society website.
Related: Georgia Chamber distributing letters…
State law implemented in 2006 was an effort to prevent illegal aliens from accessing public benefits. The goal was to make Georgia less hospitable to illegal immigration. Professional licenses are public benefits under that law. When he was state senator the governor voted for the legislation that created the verification mandate.
Georgia code (OCGA 50-36-1) requires that an applicant for public benefits swear on a notarized affidavit that he is either a U.S. citizen or a “lawfully present” and eligible foreign national. The applicant is required to present verifiable document to prove that eligibility. The foreign national’s ‘lawful presence’ is then verified using a federal database known as ‘SAVE.’
The legislation in question puts Georgia in interstate “compacts” that essentially require reciprocity in licensing and issuance procedures. “Interstate compacts are contracts that are negotiated between states. The US Supreme Court has held that the term “compact” should be understood to refer to a “contract” according to the Library of Congress.
Georgia would be joining compacts that honor the professional license of covered occupations for people who relocate from one participating state to another. If another state in the compact has issued a professional license to a resident for one of the covered professions the idea is to issue a license for the same job here without most of the current processing if that person migrates to Georgia.
The bills include provisions for quicker licensing for spouses of active duty military personnel.
If Kemp signs the bills new law will eliminate the step of verifying the “lawful presence” of the covered applicant. The abbreviated licensing process would result in quicker participation in the workforce – and a more hospitable experience for illegal aliens.
The Georgia Chamber says this will make Georgia “a better state for business.”
Including the Speaker’s office and the Senate Majority Leader, the Dustin Inman Society alerted individual legislators in both the House and senate about the result of the bills becoming law. We also asked several state senators for citation of line numbers in the legislation containing language that would dispute our analysis of these bills. The sole response came from Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R- Marietta) who replied, “…these bills are important to the military and passed the Senate unanimously. Compact language cannot be changed.” We are grateful to Sen. Kirkpatrick.
It appears the legislative choice was between compliance with the dictates of the business lobby or the preservation of procedures put in place to make Georgia less attractive to illegal immigration. The business lobby won out. Again.
Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than is Arizona, according to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.
Absence of media coverage or Republican resistance
We note the past press attention and the brutal fight to implement the verification law in question and the unsurprising absence of liberal media coverage on the decision to further the process of dismantling the law.
Between the three bills, there was only one “no” vote in the House and Senate. It came from Rep Matt Dollar (R- Marietta) who voted against HB 34.
We repeat: then-Senator and Public Safety Committee Chairman Brian Kemp voted in favor of the 2006 ‘Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act’ (SB529) that put the verification of lawful presence for public benefits in place (senate vote # 1037).
“Georgians are “fed up” with illegal immigration,” Kemp told the AJC newspaper then. They still are. But as Governor, Kemp is conspicuously silent on the entire crisis.
As can be seen by a recent letter written by an angry retired federal immigration agent, and the Dustin Inman Society’s Brian Kemp page, most conservatives are not willing to overlook that silence.
The phone number at Gov. Kemp’s Capitol office is 404-656-1776
This story continues here.
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New voter ID concept from Georgia Speaker David Ralston #HB228
New voter ID concept from Georgia Speaker David Ralston.
The below audio is from WSB radio.
