ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Time is running out for two controversial immigration bills being pushed through the Georgia legislature.
Much of the momentum comes after the recent death of 22-year-old Laken Riley. Police said Augusta University nursing student was killed on UGA’s campus and an immigrant from Venezuela was charged in connection to her death.
HB 301 and HB 1105 target illegal immigration in Georgia. If passed, there could be consequences for local governments caught harboring undocumented immigrants and jailers who don’t check an inmate’s immigration status.
GEORGIA CAPITOL COVERAGE:
“We’re talking about people who have committed crimes here in Georgia and are also in the country illegally. It would make sure our local jails, as well as our state corrections officials, are cooperating with ICE to make sure that these folks are properly deported after their crimes,” said Republican Sen. John Albers.
Supporters like Albers said the bills would help keep Georgia families safer. Critics, like Democratic Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes said the laws could rip immigrant families apart.
“It’s extremely discriminatory and as I mentioned, is going to lead to racial profiling,” Islam Parkes said. “I don’t think that this is a bill that was thought through all the way.”
The bills have passed both chambers and return to the House for a final vote of agreement by Thursday, the last day of the legislative session.
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