The Georgia House gave final passage to a bill that would require sheriffs to enforce federal immigration laws and punish them if they don’t.
House Bill 1105, sponsored by Savannah Republican Rep. Jesse Petrea, would require jailers to hold any suspect who is believed to be in the country without legal permission, if that person is wanted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It was approved 99-75, mostly along party lines with Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter of Dalton joining Democrats to vote against the measure.
The bill would punish sheriffs who don’t inform immigration agents that someone in custody on a misdemeanor crime has been flagged as potentially being in the country without permission. Some sheriffs had raised concerns about additional responsibilities the legislation would place upon them, but others have fully endorsed the bill.
“Working with ICE, which is what ICE wants us to do — I don’t think anyone in law enforcement believes that is too much to ask,” Petrea said.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Republicans hope the bill will prohibit local governments from enacting “sanctuary” policies allowing local officials to give safe harbor to people living in the country without legal permission. Even though Georgia law already forbids such policies, supporters say HB 1105 would give those measures teeth.
However, in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sean Ervin, the Atlanta field office director for ICE, said no Georgia lawmakers have reached out to him or his office regarding legislation surrounding the process that occurs when someone who is in the country without authorization is arrested.
“I want sheriffs to work with us voluntarily and not be forced into it,” he said. “But that’s a state decision, not mine.”
Ervin declined to comment on specific legislation, but he addressed criticism from sheriffs that ICE does not follow through with detainers the agency issues to hold someone for deportation.
“To the best of our ability, we cover all 159 counties in the state of Georgia,” he said. “If there’s a sheriff anywhere who feels that they’re underserved by ICE, then I would welcome them to bring that to my attention. We can work on that.”
Catherine Jarry-Tranter, a representative for the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, said Thursday in a rally outside the state Capitol that the legislation is a “political tactic to promote anti-immigrant rhetoric for this year’s election because certain parties have nothing to offer.”
She said these bills make an impact on the mental health of immigrant communities.
“These bills have filled our communities with fear and doubt,” she said.
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