Civil rights commission to review Ga. immigration law

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights announced this week that it will look into how new immigration laws in Georgia and several other states are affecting people's civil rights.

The commission plans to review whether enforcement of the laws has fostered or contributed to an increase in hate crimes, compromised public safety, elevated racial and ethnic profiling or affected students rights to a public education, according to a news release. Chairman Martin Castro said enactment of the laws "presents a pressing national civil rights issue that affects immigrants and U.S. citizens alike."

The group will study laws in several states, with emphasis placed on Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

Georgia lawmakers this year passed House Bill 87, a sweeping anti-illegal immigration law that proponents said will deter illegal immigrants from coming to Georgia and burdening the state's taxpayer-funded public schools, hospitals and jails. Modeled after Arizona's law, Georgia's measure allows police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects and punishes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants.

Georgia is No. 6 in the country for "unauthorized" immigrants, with an estimated 480,000 living in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.