Lawmakers in the Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 1105, also known as the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act, on Thursday, February 29th. This would require every authorized police and sheriff's department to help identify undocumented immigrants, arrest them, and hold them for deportation.
The bill would also require these departments to publish a report every 90 days containing detailed data on the “immigration status, criminal offenses, and home countries of detainees who are not citizens of the United States who are subject to the authority of the department and over whom the immigration authorities.” of the United States.” and the Department of Homeland Security Customs has issued immigration detainers.”
The bill now heads to the state Senate for further debate on its passage.
In 2019, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission were appointed made a decision in favor of [the] Athens Immigrant, Undocumented and Latinx Community” to celebrate diversity and defend the humanity of all people, including citizens, non-citizens and undocumented people who call Athens home.
However, this is not the same as a sanctuary city.
While there is no legal definition of sanctuary policies, cities that adhere to these policies impede or limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, and others.
Despite the decision to increase support for the migrant community, Athens is still not a city of refuge.
Under state law in Georgia, since 2009, all cities and counties within the state have been prohibited from adopting or enforcing a sanctuary policy.
Despite nationwide efforts to suppress local efforts to implement sanctuary policies, the unified government of the ACC still pushes to do its utmost to support all people living in Athens, while condemning white supremacy and institutions that favor minorities discriminate.
According to an email from the ACCPD Public Information Office, ACC police officers do not currently have immediate access to immigration status, but the Clarke County Sheriff's Office does.
Immigration status is governed by ICE's 287(g) program and, in the case of Athens-Clarke County, is turned over to the sheriff's office for monitoring. The general process of identifying and deporting non-citizens with criminal or pending criminal charges arrested by state and local law enforcement agencies is handled at booking and overseen by the law enforcement agency assigned to the jail, which is located in Athens-Clarke County it's the sheriff's office. according to the ACCPD email.
Most immigration laws come from the federal government and are enacted by Congress. This means that the federal government monitors and determines immigration status, visas, green cards, and citizenship, and delegates these powers to the local level on a state-by-state basis.
President Biden pushed for a repeal of Trump-era restrictions on immigration to the U.S. early in his presidency by increasing refugee admissions, maintaining deportation relief and not denying green cards to immigrants. Now Biden is again calling for a stricter border control policy with asylum restrictions.
Georgia has historically supported laws that control or restrict immigration. Gov. Brian Kemp has been pushing for stricter border policies since the start of Biden's presidency.
