5/17 – New America Media – Immigrant Rights Groups Speak Out Against Georgia’s HB87 – New America Media

Immigrant Rights Groups Speak Out Against Georgia’s HB87 – New America Media.

Korea Daily, News Report, Posted: May 17, 2011

ATLANTA – Civil and immigrants’ rights groups across Georgia have rallied against the governor’s signing of House Bill 87, a controversial new law that mirrors legislation passed in Arizona, reports the Korea Daily.

“For us the bill’s passage is lamentable, as it represents a direct assault in the rights of legal immigrants in the state,” said Jong-guk Eun, executive director of the Korean American Association of greater Atlanta.

State Governor Nathan Deal signed the Arizona-style bill into law last Friday. The bill grants local police and business owners the right to check the immigration status of individuals against the federal E-Verify database.

There are an estimated 480 thousand undocumented immigrants in the state of Georgia, 20 thousand more are believed to reside in Arizona.

A number of local employers say the bill will have a negative impact on their businesses, particularly if it causes an outflow immigrant labor from the state. Insiders from the state’s agricultural sector say one of the results of House Bill 87 could be higher prices at the supermarket as businesses seek to compensate for lost labor.

Some Atlanta businesses are reportedly hanging sings in their storefronts that read “Immigrants Welcome Here.” One owner told CBS News that she planned to be non-compliant, and that the sign in her window was a reflection of her “disgust” with the new law.

Opposition groups say they plan to protest the bill when it goes into effect in July 1.

5/17 – CBSAtlanta – Posters First Phase Of Immigration Boycott – Atlanta News Story – WGCL Atlanta

Posters First Phase Of Immigration Boycott – Atlanta News Story – WGCL Atlanta.

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1:10am | May 18, 2011

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Groups Refuse To Obey New Immigration Law

By Mike Paluska, CBS Atlanta Reporter

POSTED: 6:45 pm EDT May 16, 2011

UPDATED: 7:19 am EDT May 17, 2011

ATLANTA — Some businesses across the Atlanta metro area said they plan to hang posters in their windows to let immigrants know they are a safe haven for illegals.The posters are the latest, in a number of pro-immigration movements, to let Georgia’s legislators know they disagree with the signing of House Bill 87, a controversial new immigration law, that mimics similar legislation passed in Arizona.”We are going to be non-compliant,” said Elizabeth Anderson. Anderson works at Charis Books and More in Little Five Points. Anderson said the poster, now hanging in her window, is a symbol of their disgust for the new law.”If Immigration and Customs Enforcement come into our store, we will tell them to get a search warrant,” said Anderson. “We are basically offering ourselves as a resource to the community. If people want to have a meeting here. We want immigrants to know this is a safe place. As safe as we cane me it. And being non-compliant, it means; come here feel safe. Know we will provide as many resources as possible,” Anderson said.The posters are part of numerous organizations that include Somos Georgia, “We Are Georgia,” Southerners On New Ground, and Georgia Latino Alliance For Human Rights.Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 87 into law on Friday.The bill author State rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, said the bill is not racist, and merely enforces federal laws already on the books that the government isn’t.”The very best we can do, as a state, within the boundaries of the U.S and State Constitution to address the social and economic consequences of illegal immigration,” Ramsey said.”Illegal immigration places an incredible burden on Georgia taxpayers,” said Deal. “With an illegal population estimated to be almost one half million the collective cost to our educational, health care and correctional infrastructure is in the billions,” Deal said.The new law goes into effect on July 1. Groups said there will be numerous protests that day.

5/17 Americas Society/Council of the Americas – States Take Steps on Immigration amid Obama’s Calls for Reform

States Take Steps on Immigration amid Obama’s Calls for Reform.

Roque Planas
May 17, 2011

Georgia Governor Nathan Dale signs an immigration law that cracks down on undocumented workers as state legislator and bill co-sponsor Matt Ramsey looks on. (AP Photo)

When U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech calling for comprehensive immigration reform in El Paso on May 10, he framed the issue as a moral imperative that makes economic sense. “Look at Intel and Google and Yahoo and eBay—these are great American companies that have created countless jobs and helped us lead the world in high-tech industries. Every one was founded by an immigrant,” Obama said in the speech. The outlines of his proposal—ramping up border security, creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already here, reforming the legal immigration system to attract immigrants with education and skills, and punishing business that exploit the undocumented—are not new. Obama said as much several times this week, calling for immigration reform at a meeting with high profile stakeholders April 19, another one with Hispanic celebrities and journalists on April 28, and at the commencement speech of Miami Dade Community College. But despite Obama’s high-profile moves, exasperated state governments continue to take immigration policy into their own hands.

Many question how hard Obama will really push for immigration reform. An editorial published in The Boston Globe argued that Obama needs to accompany his meetings and speeches with legislation and lobbying. “Simply asking Americans to ‘add your voices to the debate’ won’t get the job done,” The Globe’s editorial board wrote. “The president needs to lead Congress and the country by proposing legislation and then fighting for it.” Some view Obama as having passed the buck, opening the door for reform opponents to say he is more interested in mobilizing the Hispanic vote than fixing what he refers to as the “broken immigration system.” “It’s disappointing that the only time border security and immigration reform get President Obama’s attention is when he is campaigning,” Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said in statement released in anticipation of Obama’s El Paso speech.

The day after Obama’s immigration speech, Senate Democrats reintroduced the DREAM Act, a law that would grant a path to citizenship for qualified undocumented youth who serve in the military or attend college. The DREAM Act has a slim chance of passing—the legislation failed last year during the lame-duck session, when Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress. To make it palatable to legislators more interested in immigration enforcement than reform, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) suggested last week attaching the DREAM Act as a rider to a bill requiring employers to use E-Verify to confirm that employees are allowed to work in the United States. But some DREAM Act supporters have questioned the political motives behind giving that law another go just as campaigning for the 2012 election is winding up.

In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, states are taking the lead. Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal signed a law on Friday modeled partly on Arizona’s controversial SB 1070. The Georgia law gives state police more authority to question the suspects police detain about their immigration status and obligates large agribusinesses to use E-Verify. Several other states have considered implementing laws similar to Arizona’s, but they face resistance from the federal government and business groups who say the laws will incur heavy legal and economic costs. In July 2010, a federal judge slapped an injunction on the most controversial provisions of the Arizona law and, in April, the decision was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer says she will appeal the case to the Supreme Court. A law passed last week by Utah’s legislature would require police to check the immigration status of those who commit felonies faced a federal challenge within 14 hours. A similar bill aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration failed in the Florida legislature on May 6, after the session expired without reaching an agreement.

By the same token, some states are passing legislation aimed at providing relief for undocumented immigrants in the absence of reform at the federal level. Maryland’s state legislature, for example, just approved a law on May 10 allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges. The Connecticut House just passed a similar law. Governor Pat Quinn told Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week that the state would opt out of Secure Communities—a federal program that requires local law enforcement to check fingerprints of those they arrest against an ICE database. The purpose behind the program is to target undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes for deportation, but Quinn said that over a third of those deported from his state under Secure Communities were never convicted of a crime.

Learn more:

• Get updates immigration policy from AS/COA’s Hispanic Integration Hub blog.
• Read the transcript of Obama’s El Paso speech calling for immigration reform.
• An editorial in The Boston Globe argues that Obama needs to match his call for immigration reform with legislative action.
• Texas Senator John Cornyn criticizes Obama for only focusing on immigration reform when campaigning.
• Utah’s Immigration Enforcement Act.
• Access an AS/COA Online resource guide.
• Maryland’s SB 167, which allows undocumented immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition. A Similar bill in the Connecticut legislature passed the House, but has yet to be approved by the Senate.

Send questions and comments for the editor to: ascoa.online@as-coa.org.

5/17 – ajc.com – Pebblebrook students protest immigration law | ajc.com

Pebblebrook students protest immigration law  | ajc.com.

Cobb County News 5:48 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, 2011

By Tucker McQueen

For the AJC

About 100 students at Cobb County‘s Pebblebrook High School left class early Tuesday to protest Georgia’s new immigration law. The group of mostly Hispanic students gathered at the flagpole in front of the school shouting “undocumented and unafraid” and “education, not deportation.”

Gov. Nathan Deal signed Georgia’s tough new immigration enforcement measure into law Friday. Among other things, House Bill 87 authorized local and state police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects and arrest illegal immigrants and take them to federal jails. Much of the law is set to take effect July 1.

HB 87′s supporters say illegal immigrants are burdening the state resources, including schools. Opponents say the measure is pre-empted by federal law.

Under rules the State Board of Regents approved in October, illegal immigrants are barred from attending any University System of Georgia campus that had to turn away academically qualified students for the past two years. The regents’ move was in response to concerns that these students were taking away spots from those who are legally in the country.

Students at the south Cobb school carried signs reading, “We want reform of one solution, stop destroying families.” and “Refuse Georgia’s college ban. We want reform.” The students said they chose May 17 for the protest because it is the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing segregation in schools.

Rich Pellegrino, executive director of Cobb Immigrant Alliance, said many of the students came to the United States when they were younger and are here illegally.

“Kids work hard to follow the American dream and can’t go to college,” he said.

Pebblebrook sophomore Ricardo Alcazar was 2 years old when his family moved to Georgia. He is an illegal immigrant and wants to become a scientist.

“I don’t know anything about Mexico,” Alcazar said. “I am here today to support my people and fight for change so I can stay.”

Staff writer Jeremy Redmon contributed to this article.