In February, several organizations gathered on the Buford Highway, the immigrant center of Metro Atlanta, to protest against the latest ice arrest in Georgia.
Most Republicans in Georgia follow Trump's “Stick” approach: Heard their attitude to immigration with the idea that the conditions will be bad enough that those in the country will be illegal – and those who protect them will stop.
The Senate of Georgia approved the Senate Act 21 last week, which would enable citizens to complain against local governments that do not follow the states of immigration. However, Reeves' calculation would expand the paths so that migrants would temporarily come to Georgia as guest workers.
“If you are dissatisfied with the status quo at the federal level with immigration and have not fulfilled work requirements, House Bill 82 is the answer to this problem,” said Reeves.
How it would work
While the Federal Government maintains control of the exhibition of Work Visa, House Bill 82 would give a ship to communicate its job offers. This state apparatus could then use the information to understand the extent of the demand for employees on the market and to inform the federal government how many guest workers they need.
It is an attempt to strive for the Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, which would enable the states to implement their own working visa program, in which they sponsor migrant workers who use their own criteria under supervision.
It is not certain that the federal government is interested in giving the states more power about immigration, but Reeves said that his legislation would give Georgia a platform to work for her needs.
Its legislation is similar to the Federal H-2A program, which enables employers to deliver temporary agricultural work to foreign national workers. However, this bill would apply to all industries in Georgia.
“Not only tree planters, but also nurses in rural Georgia, doctors in rural Georgia, IT people – people who can fill jobs in this state for whom we have a lack of work,” said Les Schneider, an employment lawyer from Atlanta who works with Reeves on the law.
It is a confirmation that Georgia alone cannot meet all of his staff needs with American citizens.
“I don't think we should be so parochial and provincial that we cannot learn from other people who come to this state,” said Schneider.
That was already the case. The General Assembly has passed several invoices in recent years in which compact and license restrictions have been created to practice people from other states and other countries in Georgia more easily.
Reeves also occurred additional restrictions for employees who can qualify for the program and prohibit anyone who violated immigration or criminal law.
Kyle Gomez-Leineweber from Galeo, an organization that is advocated for Latinos in Georgia, said that he supports laws that expanded employment opportunities, but it is dismayed that the measure expressly excludes immigrants who already live and work in Georgia, but without official permission to be part of the program.
“If we really want to tackle the problem of the lack of staff, we have to put our money where our mouth is, and recognize and respect the value of our workers – to which many people belong to, but have also been living in the state for decades, have built up a life here and contributed to the local economy and culture of our state,” he said.
Problems from all sides
The bill has opposition from both directions.
The Rep. Jesse Petrea, a Republican from Savannah, said in a hearing from the committee on the draft law that he was concerned about an additional immigration to Georgia.
“What they speak is a state program to bring more people into the country if they have 450,000 illegals in the state of Georgia today,” he said. In 2022 there were around 375,000 immigrants in Georgia in Georgia, who did not have authorized immigrants in Georgia and, according to the data from the Census Bureau, are not authorized to analyze the Pew Research Center.
Petrea sponsored the house bill 1105 last year and demands from prison runners to hold a suspect that is assumed that he is without legal permission if this person is sought by the US immigration and customs authority. Reeves voted for the support of House Bill 1105 last year.
Reeves said he shared Petera's deterioration, but said that his legislation would prevent companies from hiring migrants under the table without proper supervision.
“If employers have a more practical, legal, earned guest worker program, it is less likely that it is a temptation to carry out illegal immigration,” said Reeves.
Working groups also had problems with the draft law and asked the question of why there is a shortage of work at all.
“Is it because of the treatment of employees? Is it for the payment? Is it for the performance structure? What does these people cause not to go to these jobs?” Seth Span, the political director of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
Mike Tharp, who represents the communication workers of the America Union in Georgia, said that the legislature should concentrate on gaining Georgians here for jobs and industries.
“HB 82 would reduce corners, transform permanent jobs into temporary jobs and recruit foreign employees to fill these positions, and that doesn't sound like good jobs for Georgians,” he said.
Reeves also hopes that if those who participate in the program
He said he had committed himself “in the long run” to bring the bill in good condition.
