Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed a law requiring jails across the state to check the immigration status of all inmates. The bill would also require jails to cooperate with federal immigration officials. According to HB 1105, local governments that do not adhere to the new law will be stripped of state funding. Furthermore, law enforcement and local officials would be charged with a misdemeanor for refusing to follow the law.
Kemp also called out the Biden administration for neglecting its responsibility to secure the southern border, making it necessary for states to take the immigration issue into their own hands. The Republican governor maintained that the state would protect its citizens from illegal alien criminals.
“The Biden administration has failed in its duties to secure our southern border and as a result we do not know who has entered our country or where they are going,” Kemp said. “But in Georgia we will do everything in our power to ensure criminals are not allowed to walk free and terrorize communities.”
The catalyst for the new legislation was the horrific murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, who allegedly died at the hands of illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra, who unlawfully entered the United States in 2022. Per Kemp, the immigration bill “became one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley at the hands of someone in this country illegally who had already been arrested even after crossing the border.”
The governor emphasized that illegal immigrants would be held accountable for the crimes they commit in the state of Georgia. “If you enter our country illegally and proceed to commit further crimes in our communities, we will not allow your crimes to go unanswered,” Kemp said.
The American Tribune reported on comments from Laken Riley’s father, Jason Riley, who spoke before the Georgia Senate in March. “I stand before you, a heartbroken man.” Mr. Riley said. “Part of my purpose has been taken. God gave me a beautiful daughter to father, protect, provide for and nurture.”
He continued, calling on the legislative body to protect Georgia citizens from the vicious crimes committed by illegal immigrants. “A man with an evil heart stole her life. He was in this country and in this state illegally. My vision for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion,” he said.
Kemp also signed another law requiring cash bail for an additional 30 charges, including 18 misdemeanors. While conservatives have celebrated the move as an effort to restore the rule of law, leftists have criticized the law.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, “SB 63 is cruel, costly, and counterproductive. Research shows that sweeping people into incarceration only increases crime and taxpayer costs, and yet Georgia locks up a higher percentage of its people than any other state in the country. SB 63 doubles down on that position, forcing even more people to languish in jail because they are poor or mentally ill.”
The Bail Project criticized the law, stating, “By limiting judicial discretion through requirements that cash bail be set for a variety of misdemeanors, and by restricting charitable bail organizations, churches, and individuals from supporting members of their community with bail assistance, SB 63 will fuel mass incarceration while removing a lifeline to impoverished Georgians who are incarcerated solely because they can’t pay bail.”
Featured image credit: By U.S. Embassy Jerusalem – https://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyjlm/52919573258/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135023136
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