Posted: 9:16 PM Jan 26, 2010

City business owners must prove citizenship
Filling out an application is not enough anymore. Business owners within the city of Conyers must now confirm they are in the country legally before they can run a business.
Reporter: By Alena Parker, Staff Reporter
Email Address: alena.parker@rockdalecitizen.com

9 Comments

CONYERS — Filling out an application is not enough anymore. Business owners within the city of Conyers must now confirm they are in the country legally before they can run a business.

Local government agencies were recently called to verify citizenship and immigration status of business owners through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Conyers City Council voted Jan. 20 to enter into an agreement with the federal agencies though Conyers city attorney Michael Waldrop noted they did not have much choice.

“The Georgia Legislature has required that cities and counties participate in the SAVE program to verify the legality of those who do business and receive benefits from the city,â€