Georgia’s lawmakers voted to pass a new bill on Thursday. This bill requires local jail staff to check if inmates are legally in the country.
They must cooperate with federal immigration authorities instead of protecting people who are staying illegally.
The bill got support mainly from Republicans and now needs the governor’s signature to become law.
Local law enforcement could lose state funding or face misdemeanor charges if local law enforcement doesn’t follow these rules.
This law gained attention after a Venezuelan man was accused of killing a nursing student at the University of Georgia.
The man, Jose Ibarra, was arrested for murder and assault. He allegedly entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2022, but it’s not clear if he applied for asylum.
Some Democrats worry that this law will make local police focus too much on immigration issues.
They fear it could make immigrant communities less likely to report crimes or cooperate with the police.
Studies have shown that immigrants are not more likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.
A Republican lawmaker, Jesse Petrea, argued that the bill asks law enforcement to work with immigration authorities when someone commits a crime and is in the country illegally. He believes this is a reasonable request for law enforcement.
(Source: AP News)