The Georgia state legislature on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would require local prison guards to check inmates' immigration status and cooperate with federal immigration authorities rather than house people who are in the country illegally.
The House voted 99-75 to approve amendments to House Bill 1105, which was sponsored by Republicans and will now be sent to the governor for his signature. The bill had previously passed the Senate.
Under the measure, local law enforcement agencies would risk losing federal funding if they do not cooperate with immigration authorities, and local officials could be charged with misdemeanors.
Georgia is about to require children under 16 to have parental permission to use social media
The measure gained momentum after police accused a Venezuelan man of beating a nursing student to death on the University of Georgia campus.
State Rep. Jesse Petrea speaks in favor of HB 1105 in the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta on March 28, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Jose Ibarra was arrested last month on murder and assault charges in connection with the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley. Immigration authorities say Ibarra, 26, entered the United States illegally in 2022. It is unclear whether he has applied for asylum.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Democrats expressed concern that this would turn local law enforcement into immigration police, which would reduce communities' willingness to report crimes and cooperate with them. They also pointed to studies that show immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.
Republican Rep. Jesse Petrea said in the House on Thursday that the bill requires law enforcement to cooperate with immigration authorities only if someone has committed a crime and is in the country illegally.
“I don't think anyone in law enforcement thinks that's too much to ask,” he said.
