A Mableton man who is in the 40th day of a hunger strike to protest Georgia's new immigration law is seeking an audience with Gov. Nathan Deal as his condition weakens, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Salvador Zamora was in a wheelchair, accompanied by supporters, as he delivered a letter Tuesday to Deal’s office in the state Capitol. Zamora is protesting HB 87, the Georgia immigration law that took effect July 1, the day his hunger strike began.
“These laws are not good not only for the immigrant community, but are not good for Georgia,” Zamora told Channel 2. “We need also to show (Deal) this is bad for the people and this puts a lot of pressure and fear in people and they are running away and hiding.”
The hunger strike started with two men, but one of them dropped out on the 12th day of the fast to take care of Zamora when he came down with an infection.
In a telephone interview with the AJC, Zamora said he has lost about 30 pounds since his protest began and now weighs 175 pounds. He gotten over the infection but now has the “normal symptoms” of food deprivation – “dizziness, headaches.”
“Sometimes I can walk, but it’s a lot of pain, especially from the knees down. Sometimes it’s very hard to get up,” he said.
“We’re trying to get some results and waiting for an answer from the governor, and we’re going to consider stopping if we get an appointment,” Zamora said.
The governor’s office confirmed receiving the letter, but it was unclear late Tuesday if Deal would meet with Zamora, Channel 2 reports.
Zamora is supported in his hunger strike by the Cobb Immigrant Alliance, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and other organizations.
"Salvador is determined to continue his hunger strike, risking even death, until Governor Deal agrees to meet with him about the effects of HB 87 on all the residents of Georgia,” Cobb Alliance spokesman Rich Pellegrino said in a news release.
Proponents of HB 87 have said Georgia needed to act because the federal government has failed to secure the nation's borders, allowing illegal immigrants to stream into this state and burden its public schools, jails and hospitals.
HB 87, patterned after similar legislation in other states, penalizes those who use fake identification to get jobs in Georgia and government officials who violate state laws on immigration enforcement, and requires many Georgia businesses to use the federal E-Verify system to ensure newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States.
Already, though, a federal judge has put on hold two provisions.
One would have empowered police to investigate the immigration status of suspects they believe have committed state or federal crimes and who cannot produce identification, such as a driver's license, or provide other information that could help police identify them.
The other would have punished people who, while committing another offense, knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants or encourage them to come here.
State officials led by Deal have vowed to appeal the judge’s ruling.
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