"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/17/'06 5PM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/17/'06 5PM
4/17/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
- Anti-immigrant rally at Capitol (AJC)
- Perdue signs illegal immigration bill (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
- Gov. to Sign Immigration Bill (WXIA)
- Perdue signs immigration compliance law (AJC)
- Governor plans to sign immigration bill (Access North Georgia)
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0417rally.html
Anti-immigrant rally at Capitol
By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/17/06
Dozens of people waving American flags and holding signs converged on the state Capitol today for a rally opposing illegal immigration.
The rally was organized by D.A. King of Cobb County in response to recent protests around the nation by illegal immigrants and their allies — including here in Atlanta a week ago.
The crowd roared its approval when King announced that Gov. Sonny Perdue's office had just announced the governor would be signing Senate Bill 529, a measure passed by the General Assembly in March to crack down on illegal immigrants and those who hire them. Perdue was scheduled to sign the bill at 2 p.m. inside of his office.
Many in the crowd held up signs, including: "Illegal Aliens Are Criminals," "Enforce Our Laws," "Secure Our Borders," "Pay for Your Own Babies and Healthcare" and "Margaritas Yes, Illegals No."
Several legislators spoke at the rally, including state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), sponsor of SB 529 and state Reps. Melvin Everson (R-Snellville) and Matt Dollar (R-Marietta). Political hopefuls also spoke, including Fourth Congressional District candidate Catherine Davis and Sixth Congressional District Candidate John Konop. Perhaps the biggest reaction came when King introduced Davis as the woman hoping to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney. The crowd cheered and clapped loudly for Davis.
King got the crowd pumped by starting out with, "I am an American citizen who has had enough!" He later said, "I don't know how many people are here today but there's 10,000 times this many people thinking the same thing we are thinking."
King estimated as many as 300 people showed up for the rally, though one Capitol police official estimated it to be at just more than 100.
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http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/04/17/daily8.html
Perdue signs illegal immigration bill
Atlanta Business Chronicle - 2:55 PM EDT Mondayby Ryan Mahoney Staff Writer
Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed a much-debated bill targeting illegal immigrants and their employers, less than three weeks after the GOP-controlled Georgia General Assembly sent the measure to his desk.
In those three weeks, immigrants turned out across the nation to protest federal legislation on the issue, and tens of thousands demonstrated April 10 in Atlanta against Georgia Senate Bill 529 by state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), which Perdue signed Monday.
"We cannot tolerate activity that distracts us from our ability to embrace those who come here legally," Perdue said. "We need to know who is living here in Georgia."
Perdue spokeswoman Heather Hedrick said the governor decided to make SB 529 law after consulting with staff and members of his Latino Commission for a New Georgia. Some of the latter expressed concern about the measure, Hedrick said, while others called it a fair compromise.
Neither the immigrant protests nor a Monday rally by opponents of illegal immigration had any impact on the timing of the signing, Hedrick said. The governor could have taken his pen to SB 529 as late as May 9.
D.A. King, who organized the rally and is president of the anti-illegal immigration Dustin Inman Society, said he was elated at Perdue's decision.
"I'm glad that the governor has taken the advice of 82 percent of the people of Georgia," King said, referring to polls that indicate a majority of Georgians want the state to take action on the issue.
But those who spoke on behalf of the estimated 250,000 to 800,000 illegals living in Georgia during the debate on SB 529 warned that the state's 70,000 legal Hispanic voters will not look kindly on the signing.
"This is something that's going to resonate with Latino voters in November," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "We're going to remember it."
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=78693
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About 200 demonstrators gathered on the capitol steps to support the measure, which they say will just duplicate existing federal law. The law will deny many state services to adults who are in the country illegally and penalize employers who hire illegal immigrants.
The counter rally did not come near the gathering of tens of thousands of immigrants who marched through DeKalb County last week to demand recognition for illegal immigrants. However, organizers of the counter rally on Monday disagreed with the theme of the original march and said it does not matter what the economic impact of illegal labor is.
"Let's assume that each state could make a $1 billion profit from not enforcing existing law. Would we be willing to do that and, if so, which other laws maybe could we ignore to further increase our profit?" asked organizer D.A. King.
"For me and most of us here, it is about the rule of law upon which our nation was founded and there really is no other agenda."
Organizers of the counter rally said they would like Congress to go even further with harsher penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants and the possibility of prison time.
The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act will verify that adults seeking many state-administered benefits are in the country legally. It sanctions employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and mandates that companies with state contracts check the immigration status of their employees.
The law also will require police to check the immigration status of people they arrest to see if they face deportation orders.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says the measure is believed to be the first comprehensive immigration bill to make it through a statehouse this session. Many of the new law's provisions will not take effect until 2007.
The bill drew protests at Georgia's state Capitol and prompted a daylong work stoppage by some immigrants earlier this month.
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Perdue signs immigration compliance law
Measure takes aim at illegals, employers
By JIM THARPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/17/06
Gov. Sonny Perdue today signed into law the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, Georgia's most ambitious attempt ever to address illegal immgration and its wide-ranging ramifications.
The law takes aim at illegal immigrants and the people who employ them, but even its legsilative sponsor concedes it is not a cure-all.
"It took 30 years to get here, and we're not going to solve it overnight," said state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), who sponsored the legislation. "This is a multiyear process."
The measure, which began life as Senate Bill 529, won overwhelming approval in the recently adjourned election-year Legislature, where both chambers are controlled by the Republican Party. A crackdown on illegal immigration was a key push for the GOP this session.
Many of the things the law addresses will not be dealt with for more than a year at the earliest. And some key provisions will not kick in until near the end of the decade.
Today's bill signing comes against the backdrop of a heated national debate over the issue. Congress is currently contemplating a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, and portions of that legislation could supercede the state's new law.
The law requires government agencies to verify the legal status of any adult applying for taxpayer-provided benefits. But the bill exempts things like prenatal care and treatment for communicable diseases.
And the new law did not even attempt to deal with what are estimated to be the largest costs: emergency medical care for illegal immigrants or the ability of their children to attend public schools. Those taxpayer-supported services have been guaranteed by the federal courts.
The measure attempts to guarantee that employees of companies that hold public contracts hire only workers who are legally in the country, beginning July 1, 2007, for large companies. The provision for the smallest employers would not take effect until July 1, 2009.
A centerpiece of the legislation, a provision that would attempt to make private employers hire only legal workers, would not kick in until the 2008 tax year. That means enforcement would not come until 2009.
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http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=103037
Posted Monday, April 17 at 11:33 AM
Governor plans to sign immigration billby The Associated Press
ATLANTA - Governor Perdue is set to sign a sweeping immigration bill into law Monday that advocates from both sides say will make Georgia's laws among the toughest in the nation.
The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act will verify that adults seeking many state-administered benefits are in the country legally. It sanctions employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and mandates that companies with state contracts check the immigration status of their employees.
The law also will require police to check the immigration status of people they arrest to see if they face deportation orders.
The governor is signing the bill on the same day that organizers plan an anti-immigration rally at the state Capitol to counter a pro-immigration rally held earlier this month.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says the measure is believed to be the first comprehensive immigration bill to make it through a statehouse this session.
Many of the new law's provisions will not take effect until 2007.
The bill drew protests at Georgia's state Capitol and prompted a daylong work stoppage by some immigrants.
The move to tighten up rules in Georgia comes as lawmakers in Washington wrestle with competing proposals to shore up controls at the border and to create a a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States.
Related Links:
Senate Bill 529
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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