http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2006/ ... 223569.txt

Hopefuls for gov. agree on illegals

Sunday, July 2, 2006 1:10 AM EDT

By Walter C. Jones

Morris News Service

ATLANTA - When it comes to one of the most controversial issues facing government, immigration, Cathy Cox and Mark Taylor agree on one thing. They both want Washington to solve the issue.

The opposing candidates for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination both say they would urge Congress to act, but they're reluctant to say which direction they would advise the state's congressional delegation to support. One Washington plan calls for cracking down on immigration laws while giving those currently in the country illegally a path toward citizenship. The other proposal just calls for the crackdown.

"I would tell them it is time to get serious about illegal immigration," is all Taylor said. "This is a federal issue that is impacting this state, and our immigration laws need to be enforced and our border secured."


Cox said she'd be more demanding.

"The first thing I will do as Governor is beat a path to Washington and force our federal leaders to address this issue and finally put together a comprehensive national policy that protects our borders and responsibly addresses the millions of illegal immigrants already in our country," she said.

Some estimates put the number of undocumented immigrants at 11 million nationwide and as much as half a million in Georgia. A large sector of the public wants illegal immigration stopped, but many politicians have been hesitant to take a tough stance on the issue because they say privately they don't want to permanently antagonize legal immigrant voters and those who may one day become voters if they gain citizenship.

Taylor, the lieutenant governor for the last eight years, and Cox, the secretary of state for the same period, haven't made immigration a main plank in their campaign platforms nor did they play visible roles when the issue was discussed during this year's session of the General Assembly.

Yet, when asked about it, both were forthcoming and largely in synch with the state's Republican leadership.

For example, they would both be willing to send Georgia National Guard troops to New Mexico to assist federal authorities along the border. Gov. Sonny Perdue, the man they each want to replace, presided at a send-off Thursday for 150 members of the guard who volunteered for the service.

Georgia Guard units have recently returned from Iraq, and Perdue said he would only send those who volunteer for the new duty. Taylor said he would only send Georgia troops after they've had a chance to rest at home first. Cox would also take pains to ensure to limit the length of deployment of any Georgia troops.


While both Cox and Taylor say immigration is mainly a federal issue, neither would repeal a state law enacted this year by Republicans to restrict undocumented aliens' access to state programs and to impose stiffer penalties on employers who hire them.

Debate in the General Assembly on the law was long and emotional, sparking protests around the state by thousands of immigrants and their supporters. And many Democrats voted against it.

Taylor said he supported the bill once it exempted women and children.

Cox accepts the law without enthusiasm.

"The best any state can do is put a Band-Aid on the problem, but while Georgia's new immigration law isn't perfect, we should do what we can because the federal government has completely abdicated its responsibility to address this issue," she said.

Where Cox and Taylor split ways is over whether there should be still-tougher penalties for employers who hire workers who can't prove their U.S. citizenship.

Cox favors the existing state laws.

"We can't place the burden of enforcing a failed national immigration policy on the shoulders of Georgia's businesses," she said. "There are reasonable measures in place that require employers to be diligent in checking the status of their employees, but it is the federal government's responsibility to enforce our immigration laws."

But Taylor would go after companies that deliberately dodge the law.

"I think there should be tougher penalties who for those employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, but there must be an intent to break the law therefore people who unknowingly hire illegal immigrants should only be subject to existing laws regarding employment and taxation," he said.