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Georgia immigration bill: Opponents accuse Republicans of exploiting Laken Riley's murder

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Updated  March 7, 2024 6:57pm EST
Georgia Politics
FOX 5 Atlanta

Georgia bill would cut funding for sanctuary cities

A bill introduced by Georgia Republicans would cut funding for sanctuary cities in the state. Democrats, who are opposed to the bill, accuse the GOP of exploiting Laken Riley's murder.

ATLANTA - Democratic lawmakers in Georgia joined activists and immigrant rights groups at the State Capitol Thursday to voice their opposition to House Bill 1105.

The immigration legislation would require local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration laws and enact penalties for sheriffs and jailers who don’t contact federal officials to check a prisoner's immigration status.

"It is time to stop using minorities and immigrants as political pawns," Democratic state Representative Pedro Marin told reporters.  

The group called bills like HB 1105 ineffective, and said the legislation won't make Georgia safer.

How Laken Riley's murder is connected to new immigration bills

They accused GOP lawmakers of exploiting Laken Riley's murder to justify what they called harmful proposals.

Authorities said the man accused of killing the nursing student on the University of Georgia campus last month, was in the country illegally.

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Laken Riley was killed by a man who authorities say was in the country illegally.

"We have concerns that it will perpetuate stereotypes about the Latino community, about the immigrant community," GALEO Impact Fund's Kyle Gomez-Leineweber explained.

Republican House Rep. Jesse Petrea sponsored the bill. He said the legislation solely deals with jailed immigrants charged with a crime who are in the country illegally.

"That bill is expressly about individuals in jails.  They don't want you to recognize that but if you look at the bill it is about individuals in custody in Georgia jails," Rep. Jesse Petrea insisted.  "The law already requires those individuals be reported to ICE, but this bill makes sure all sheriffs are doing that, because we've had many instances where they haven't been."     

Republicans push for immigration reform  

Georgia State Capitol

Republicans continue to push for tougher immigration laws following Riley's murder. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Randy Robertson introduced a bill that would bolster enforcement of Georgia’s sanctuary cities law.

"Those that legally immigrate over here they're welcome in our communities.  It's those that break the law to get here we have to worry about," state Senator Randy Robertson told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.

If passed, local governments that engage in sanctuary policies would lose some state funding and have their sovereign immunity revoked.

"No funding that is related to healthcare, funding related to emergencies, natural disasters, none of that funding will be impacted, but some of the more residual funding that a lot of the communities depend on from the state, and even monies that the state manages from the federal government, that funding could be impacted," Robertson explained.