There’s no hotter issue in Georgia than immigration; we know that because we hear it from readers.
In fact, just having that word in the headline above this column probably is a big reason you’re reading it.
As a relative newcomer to the state, I’ve spent a lot of time reading up on the debate, studying Georgia’s new law (House Bill 87) and following the court challenges to it. I’ve asked many people I’ve met about their opinions on immigration.
Then I heard this: My former hometown in Ohio declared itself an “immigrant-friendly city.”
What Dayton did by passing its “Welcome Dayton” plan is starkly different from what’s happening in Georgia, where the Legislature passed and the governor signed a new state law. Certainly they are different issues — one is a local economic development program that welcomes immigrants without focusing on their legal status, while the other is a law to limit the impact of illegal immigration — and perhaps that’s because illegal immigration has been more prevalent here than in Ohio.
Still, I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk to key people in each place to understand the different emphasis and approach.
In Georgia, I talked to State Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City), the author of House Bill 87.
In Ohio, I talked to Tim Riordan, city manager in Dayton, who supported the passage of the plan there.
Both are reasonable, smart, articulate and passionate people who recognize that the subject of immigration invites extremists on both sides to demonize makers of policy. And both said many of the same things — and used many of the same words — when discussing their beliefs on the issue.
For example, both said the pressure of economic conditions pushed immigration to the top of their lists.
Unemployment is high in both places — 10.3 percent in Georgia and 9.1 percent in Ohio — but Ohio cities have suffered decades of declining jobs and population, while Georgia’s downturn is more recent.
Ramsey said cuts in the state’s budget, combined with the pressure illegal immigrants put on state services, led to increased concern among Georgians.
“A lot of it is driven by people wanting their tax dollars protected,” he said.
Riordan, a longtime local government official in Ohio, said residents there feel a bit downtrodden because of years of economic decline and want leaders to demonstrate a “path to the future.” He believes attracting immigrants will lead to growth.
“We’re going to have to be more supportive of entrepreneurs,” he said. “If we’re going to grow, we have to attract immigrants.”
Neither is suggesting it’s best for state or local governments to take on immigration policy, which is ultimately a responsibility of the federal government. But both believe local and state governments have been thrust into the fray by a lack of federal action and have a choice in how to respond.
“Our country has the most welcoming immigration laws in the world,” said Ramsey. “I and many other people in Georgia believe it dishonors those who are here legally” to allow illegal immigrants.
Georgia’s law empowers local and state police to arrest illegal immigrants and take them to jail, and prohibits “sanctuary cities,” which embrace practices to protect illegal immigrants.
Riordan said Dayton’s policy emphasizes that immigration enforcement will be left to federal authorities. It also says: “Immigration status checks [will be] limited to people suspected of serious crimes only.”
The city’s plan also calls for a city identification card for residents ineligible for more traditional forms of ID.
Georgia’s law calls for fines or prison for people who use fake identification to get a job.
Georgia’s law requires that most businesses use the federal E-Verify program to determine whether new hires are eligible to work legally in the United States. While some critics have called that requirement damaging to the state’s business climate and agricultural industry, Ramsey said the criticism is overstated.
Dayton’s policy calls for creating a “communitywide campaign around immigrant entrepreneurship,” including making it easier for immigrants to open new businesses and connect with international markets.
It’s about 350 miles on I-75 from the Georgia border to the Ohio River. Still, it’s remarkable that policies in the two places seem so far apart.
“We’re an immigrant nation,” said Riordan, citing his own Irish heritage as evidence.
“We are a nation of immigrants,” said Ramsey. “I want legal immigration.”
Can my old friends and new friends really be that different?
Kevin Riley is editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Contact him at editor@ajc.com or
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