Guest Post: Pamelia Brown — Georgia Considers Arizona-Style Immigration Law
Arizona-style immigration law has reached yet another state. Following on the heels of the Texas legislature’s proposed bill that makes it unlawful to refuse to identify yourself to a peace officer who has lawfully arrested or detained you, the Georgia state legislature is now considering a similar bill, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
The bill, HB 87, is finally being considered by the legislature, mere days before the end of the state’s session. The bill allows law enforcement personnel to legally question a person’s immigration status if law enforcement personnel is reasonably suspicious that the person in question is illegally within the United States.
Some may find it odd that Georgia now joins this battle; however, Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies is not surprised. He told The Christian Science Monitor, “It makes perfect sense that Arizona was at the lead of these measures, because it’s ground zero for illegal immigration, but it also makes sense that Georgia would be active, because Georgia is now one of the top illegal immigration destinations.”
In fact, fifty-two such bills have been filed in thirty states since Arizona led the immigration-legislation charge: Fourteen have failed and thirty-six are still pending, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
What, then, explains this sudden uptick in immigration law reform? It’s certainly not a question of jobs, as research already suggests that illegal immigrants hardly competed with Americans for jobs. See the recently implemented Utah Guest-Worker Program as evidence.
Kikorian cites a new reason: fear. “The cartel issue is what drives fears,” he said. “And they’re not irrational or groundless.”
Indeed. Recently we have seen an increasingly alarming rate of violence in areas closer to our borders. The violence is no longer confined to Mexico’s interior, and Americans are worried.
So the question, now, is how can we implement fair and balanced immigration reform that protects U.S. citizens from basic human rights abuses while also keeping America’s borders safe from the kind of terrifying crime we see south of us?
Whatever the solution, it’s clear that we still have a long way to go in order to figure it out.
By-line: This guest contribution was submitted by Pamelia Brown, who specializes in writing about associates degree. Questions and comments can be sent to: pamelia.brown@gmail.com.