ATLANTA — Local governments could now be exposed to lawsuits if they fail to comply with federal and state immigration laws.
The murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant sparked a national debate over federal immigration policies.
That debate reached the Georgia State Senate on Thursday.
“The thought is that all we’re trying to do is enforce Georgia law,” state Sen. Blake Tillery told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.
Tillery’s bill would compel state officials, governments and their employees to follow immigration laws already on the books.
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If they refuse and some harm results from that refusal, then they would lose their legal immunity and be subject to lawsuits.
“We saw events happen in this state where citizens of Georgia lost their lives to crimes committed by folks who were here illegally, yet my colleagues still stood in the well and claimed that Georgia doesn’t have an immigration problem,” Tiller said.
Minutes after the senate passed the bill along party lines, state Sen. Nikki Merritt warned that the bill could make it more difficult to recruit and retain law enforcement officers and lead to overcrowding in local jails.
“I have huge concerns about the impact this is going to have on local law enforcement,” Merritt said. “Now we have a bill that will make that burden even harder on them, and frankly, I’m still going to hold to it. It’s up to the federal government if they want to enforce immigration law, then come down here and do it themselves.”
Elliot said the bill now heads to the House where it could have a tougher road.
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