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Bills plentiful, unity lacking on immigrant issue

By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/30/06
There's no shortage of ideas in the Georgia Legislature on how to address the illegal immigration problem.

At least 15 bills and resolutions are under consideration in the House and Senate, just nine business days into the 40-day legislative session. A few carried over from last session, but most have been filed in recent weeks.

The offerings range from a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar illegal immigrants from all government services — including public school education — to resolutions offering a pat on the back to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Some of the bills target employers who hire illegal immigrants and the people who manufacture false citizenship documentation. Others aim to make life so undesirable in Georgia that illegal immigrants will decide not to move here.

The sheer number of proposals shows that illegal immigration is a burning topic at the Capitol this session. Legislators from both parties say that illegal immigration in Georgia has reached crisis levels, and Republican leaders have promised to deal with the issue.

A majority of Georgians want the Legislature to tackle the problem, a December poll conducted by Zogby International for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found.

But it's unclear which approach — and more specifically, which bill — lawmakers will use to address the problem.

Whether any actions by the Legislature will reduce the flow of illegal immigrants to Georgia is another unknown.

Democratic leaders continue to insist that illegal immigration is a federal problem that must be dealt with by Congress and President Bush. Republicans, meanwhile, say they're not waiting for a federal fix.

Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) has taken the lead, introducing one bill in particular — Senate Bill 170 — that has won the endorsement of the Senate leadership. The bill would essentially require that state agencies in Georgia verify the legal citizenship status of anyone who applies for taxpayer-funded benefits.

Rogers has said the idea is to make sure that those who are in the country legally are the ones receiving the state's limited resources.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), while not specifically mentioning SB 170, endorsed its concept.

"It's my belief we ought to be making certain that Georgia services are provided to Georgia citizens who are lawfully within the United States," Richardson said Friday. "There's so many different ideas of how to solve the perceived problem and the real problem. We want to make certain we have the right solution before we adopt a law."

Democrats, meanwhile, are struggling to form a unified strategy.

"People are pandering to the issue, but at the same time it's something we need to look at and deal with," said Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Some Democrats have stepped out on their own.

State Rep. Brian Thomas (D-Lilburn), has introduced House Bill 961, which would require the state to set up a program requiring employers to verify and document the legal status of their workers. Rep. Jeanette Jamieson (D-Toccoa) chose to sign on to House Resolution 256.

HR 256, a proposed constitutional amendment, was introduced by Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican from Dalton — where thousands of Hispanic immigrants work in the carpet industry.

The resolution would deny illegal immigrants all public services in Georgia, including primary education — which the federal government has said states must provide. The resolution has been assailed by advocates who say it would unfairly punish workers and does not address the root causes of illegal immigration. Even Rogers has called it "a bad piece of legislation that is going nowhere."

Williams refused to talk about his resolution, except to say, "It's going to sit there, it's not going to move."

Rep. Ron Forster (R-Ringgold), chairman of the House Interstate Cooperation Committee where HR 256 is assigned, said he thinks it's a good piece of legislation.

"The key word here is illegal," Forster said. "It's pretty easy to understand. We can try to do something. Unlike people who say this is election-year pandering, we're not going to sit on our thumbs."

Forster said he hopes denying education to children of immigrants would be "an incentive to the parent" to find somewhere else to live. "The people that came here illegally are the ones that are punishing their children, not us."

Sen. Casey Cagle (R-Gainesville), who is running for lieutenant governor, has introduced a resolution expressing "deep gratitude to and respect for" U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Gainesville is home to thousands of Hispanic immigrants working in the poultry processing industry.

Tisha Tallman, regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said the organization opposes six bills, including those from Rogers and Williams.

Tallman said MALDEF has noticed an upswing in the number of illegal immigration-related legislation throughout the Southeast, especially this year.

"Some people have attributed this to the fact that certain politicians may be using this as a hot-button issue to get people to turn out to the polls in the 2006 elections. Voter turnout is sometimes tied to a specific issue," said Tallman. "We see elections turning on issues like the Confederate flag and teacher salaries."

The only legislation MALDEF supports is SR 640, introduced by Sen. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta). The resolution urges Congress and the president "to act soon on comprehensive immigration reform."

Dan Horowitz de Garcia, organizer and lobbyist for Communities United for Action, Power & Justice, said lawmakers should address the economic issues causing illegal immigration and not seek to punish the people coming to the United States in search of a better life.

"They're going after the people who are trying to survive, trying to eat," said Horowitz de Garcia. "I dare anybody in this country to ask themselves where they were born, where their parents were born, and where their grandparents were born and see if it's the same place.

"I bet you money people moved for a better economic life."

Staff writer Nancy Badertscher contributed to this article.