Cobb commissioners will vote tonight on a controversial law aimed at stopping the hiring of illegal immigrants. But it’s not just the proposal that’s causing a stir – it’s the man who penned it.
D.A. King is a Cobb resident and anti-illegal immigration advocate known for his in-your-face antics and relentless focus on the issue. He has influenced immigration enforcement at the state and local levels through his blog, speaking engagements and Marietta newspaper columns.
In an unusual move, King wrote most of the proposed ordinance, sitting down with the county’s legal staff for hours to negotiate the language. County officials say they routinely get input from residents and groups on ordinances, but can’t recall any one person authoring one.
If it passes, Cobb could be one of the first counties in the nation to require contractors to apply for a review by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
King’s access concerns some, while supporters say it only makes sense to have one of the state’s foremost experts on illegal immigration play a role in the draft.
“It’s supposed to be a government of the people, why not allow the people to have input?” said Commissioner Bob Ott, who asked that King be able to meet with county staff and is sponsoring the ordinance. Ott said he reviewed the draft King submitted to the county.
“If he has the opportunity to write it, others should have that same ability,” said Commissioner Lisa Cupid, who has expressed concern about the law change.
One activist on another topic that’s also on tonight’s agenda said he was not granted the same access and his wording for a proposed ordinance was rejected.
The proposed immigration law would force an array of businesses — from vending machine providers to road crews — to invite ICE to inspect employment records, advise on hiring practices and issue fines for illegal hires in serious cases. Supporters say it’s a bold step to ensure county money isn’t paying the wages of illegal workers. Critics say it places an unfair burden on businesses by requiring them to invite the federal government into their human resources departments.
The use of illegal workers is an especially salient issue in Cobb, where in 2010 the county made nationwide news after illegal employees were found to be working on the new courthouse. King says he got involved with the ordinance after the county produced a “poorly researched” proposal that lacked substance.
At the state level, King says he helped draft parts of the sweeping 2011 law known as HB 87 and has worked to promote mandated E-Verify employment checks and the 287(g) program, which allows law enforcement officials to check local jail inmates’ immigration status.
But it’s King’s approach, not necessarily his politics, that rubs some the wrong way.
At a recent commission meeting, King pulled a fake rattlesnake out in front of amused commission to illustrate a point. “Contractors collecting tax dollars hiring illegal labor while we have 8 percent to 9 percent unemployment in the state of Georgia could easily qualify as a snake,” he said. “People who have no respect for immigration laws and come into our country and lower the wages and take the jobs of our poorest … could easily qualify as a rattlesnake.”
King describes some who disagree with his ideas as “anti-enforcement” and has used his blog to attack opponents, including commissioners who have voiced concern over the proposed ordinance.
After Commissioner Helen Goreham, who has been in office 10 years, came out against the proposal, King announced that his nonprofit group, the Dustin Inman Society, would search for an “intelligent and honest candidate” to replace her in 2014. He’s described Chairman Tim Lee as a liar who works for the Chamber of Commerce.
“I am extremely proud of the Cobb … ordinance,” King said. “It could have saved a lot of jobs for legal workers and the fight has exposed the corruption, lack of intelligence and agenda of three of Cobb’s commissioners.”
David Welden, a campaign adviser for Goreham and retired Cobb resident, said he used to support King and even donated to the Dustin Inman Society. But because of King’s attacks, Welden says he wouldn’t give a dime now. “In the last year he’s become very thuggish and belligerent in his talk and abuse of those that don’t agree with him,” he said.
Joseph Pond says it makes him angry that King was allowed to work directly on the illegal-immigration ordinance. Pond has been trying to get the county to allow residents to keep poultry in their backyard, an issue Cobb commissioners will also vote on tonight. Pond submitted suggested language for the poultry ordinance, but says none of it was used in the county’s draft.
“I have asked repeatedly for the county to sit down with me and discuss this and come up with practical solutions, and basically, they’ve ignored me,” he said. “We should all be treated equally.”
County officials said changes to the poultry ordinance didn’t require as much input because it’s a revision of an existing law, not a new one.
King, 60, says he was drawn into the immigration debate when a Mexican family moved across the street from his home in 1997. King says he helped the family move in and they later told him, “ ‘your laws don’t apply to us and it is our culture to park six cars on the unmowed lawn.’ “ He said he was shocked when federal immigration authorities ignored his complaints.
In the years that followed, King became a self-educated activist against illegal immigration. He started the Dustin Inman Society, named for a 16-year-old Georgia boy who was killed in 2000 in a traffic collision where the other driver was an illegal immigrant. The group has a board of advisers but no employees. King operates it, writing press releases, updating the website and even loaning thousands of his own dollars to cover expenses, according to financial records.
King’s supporters say they’re happy he’s fighting aggressively. Joyce Schumacher with the Conservative Leadership Coalition said King is a “crusader.” She has no problem with his role in crafting Cobb’s latest proposal.
“This man tries to get all the facts, and tries to do things the right way,” Schumacher said. “Not every man quits his job and totally dedicates himself to working endless hours to do the right thing. If he wants to do most of the inputting that’s fine. I don’t see anyone else stepping up to the plate.”
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