Thread: GA Senate Dems try to shift immigration burden to businesses

by The Associated Press

ATLANTA - In a bid to make businesses responsible for complying with immigration law, Senate Democrats propose hefty fines for employers who fail to verify workers' IDs, and 100 investigators to enforce immigration policy.

The bill's backers hope the plan can be tacked onto a Republican-sponsored immigration bill pending in the Senate, which lawmakers are set to consider Wednesday.

The proposal takes aim at businesses that flout Georgia law by accepting falsified documents from illegal immigrants. Companies that employ more than 20 workers could be penalized $12,800 per worker and per violation, a fine that would double on the second offense.

``We believe there's a universe of employers who look at these documents and know that they're false,'' said state Sen. Kasim Reed, the bill's author.

The bill would also create a unit of 100 investigators in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to enforce immigration law, which could cost roughly $3 million.

Tipsters could call a toll-free number to complain about violations. Undocumented workers could also use the line to report improper treatment, said Reed, D-Atlanta.

Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown of Macon said the legislation will be offered as an amendment to the hotly debated Republican measure.

The GOP bill, introduced by state Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, would deny some state benefits to undocumented adults and use the tax code to penalize employers with illegals on their payrolls.

It also requires jailers to check whether the people they arrest are in the country legally; sets up ``human trafficking'' penalties that mirror federal law; and toughens penalties for people who sell false documents to illegal immigrants.

Democratic leaders say their plan goes a step further by imposing harsher penalties on the businesses that lure undocumented workers to Georgia in the first place.

``They can put up 700 more miles of gates, but what's driving this deal is job opportunities,'' Reed said. ``And nobody's talking about it.''

The proposal, introduced just days before a crucial legislative deadline, likely faces a tough hurdle in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Rogers, who has lead the GOP's push for immigration changes, questioned the Democrats' timing, but did not rule out supporting the proposal.

``I do find it a bit disingenuous that they would wait until the day before it goes to the floor to spring it on me,'' he said. He added, though, ``If it's a good idea, I'm all for it.''

Joe Fleming, a lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce, said businesses are already obligated to comply with federal requirements to check their employees' immigration status. Adding more requirements, he said, should be left up to the feds.

We're talking about a problem that cries out for a federal solution,'' Fleming said. ``Georgia citizens can't be the police force for our national immigration policy.''

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/ ... ?ID=101742

This is a trick from the Dems to defeat Rogers' bill in the House. If added as an amendment to the original bill, it would engender enough opposition from big business to kill the whole bill. I said as much to Chip yesterday.

Sneaky BASTARDS!