Governor in tight political spot on illegal immigration

The Augusta Chronicle
February 25, 2011
By Jeremy Redmon
ATLANTA, GA

Nathan Deal fought hard against illegal immigration when he served in Congress. And when the Republican ran for governor last year, he campaigned on bringing a very tough Arizona-style law to Georgia.

Now the governor is urging caution as the Legislature considers such a crackdown.

Deal said he doesn't want to put an "undue burden" on employers who would have to abide by certain requirements in the bills pending in the state Capitol.

These comments are now causing many critics to worry that Deal could flip-flop under pressure from business groups.

A Deal spokesman said Thursday the governor remains committed to fighting illegal immigration but is focused on other priorities, including closing a massive state budget shortfall and overhauling the state's pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholarship programs.

Many local supporters of the illegal immigration bills have now mounted a campaign to call Deal's office and strongly urge him to "stick to his campaign promises".

In a blog published on the National Review's Web site this week, the head of a Washington-based group that advocates for tighter immigration controls called Deal's recent comments "weaselly equivocation."

Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote of Deal: "He hasn't sold out yet, but this kind of stalling and evasion exactly highlights the need for eternal vigilance, whoever the politician and whatever the issue."

A Deal spokesman said it is too early in the session for the governor to take a position on pending legislation such as House Bill 87 and Senate Bill 40, adding that they could change drastically in the coming weeks.

Deal, meanwhile, wants to severely curb illegal immigration in Georgia but in a way that would avoid unnecessary and costly court challenges, said his spokesman, Brian Robinson.

Robinson said "there is no governor in the country with a stronger record on fighting illegal immigration than Gov. Nathan Deal. We will put his record up against anybody's."

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