Politics & Government

Sheldon: H.B. 87 Profoundly Changes How State Addresses Illegal Immigration

State Representative Donna Sheldon (R-Dacula) describes legislation as "one of the most impactful pieces of legislation in our lifetime."

Dacula Patch asked State Rep. Donna Sheldon for her thoughts regarding the passage of H.B. 87 in the Georgia House of Representatives. Here is her response in its entirety:

On March 3, 2011, the Georgia House of Representatives passed one of the most impactful pieces of legislation in our lifetime.  H.B. 87, the Illegal Immigration Reform Act, profoundly changes how our state addresses the issue of illegal immigration. Sadly, there has been much misinformation presented about H.B. 87 from various outlets. It has also been the victim of several unfair comparisons to other states legislation, particularly the Arizona immigration bill.

I wanted to take a few moments to outline the bigger details of H.B. 87 which has successfully passed the House and is now in the Senate. While many may still oppose it after this review, I believe it is necessary to understand a bill’s true intent and components before real debate can begin. I hope you fill find these details hopeful and please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

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The Issue of Illegal Immigration and its Impact:

It is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the federal government to protect the border. However, most would say the federal government has failed to do so. Sadly though, it is state and local communities and taxpayers that must deal with the heavy financial and social burden of illegal immigrants. Georgia’s unemployment rate is at historic levels and it is our job as state legislators to protect job opportunities for Georgia’s legal citizens. As a state government, we cannot and do not have the authority to enforce the border of our country. However we cannot afford to wait idly for the federal government to act. Our local and state budgets have become smaller and smaller so greater scrutiny must be given to those who receive services from those budgets.

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The fiscal burdens created by illegal immigrants directly impact the cornerstone services Georgia provides its citizens and the level at which they are provided, the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimate that burden to be $2.4 Billion per year.  The services illegal immigration impacts include education, healthcare and law enforcements/correction.

Here are some quick facts concerning the state of illegal immigration in Georgia:

  • The Pew Hispanic Center recently determined that Georgia’s immigration population ranks seventh in the nation
  • That same study estimates an illegal immigration population that nears 425,000, or a city population second only to Atlanta
  • From 2000-2009 Georgia’s illegal population grew by 115 percent, the fastest of any state

As one can see, legislation was necessary to address Georgia’s serious social and economical problems caused by the federal government’s failure to secure our border.

H.B. 87: A Good Step in Illegal Immigration Reform

H.B. 87 attempts to address these issues and remove incentives for illegal immigrants for settling in Georgia. It essentially has four main points which are the expansion and implementation of the federal E-VERIFY system, identification document verification, law enforcement incentives for dealing with illegal immigration and tools to combat this problem. These points are expanded upon below:

1.) Expands the use of federal E-VERIFY system

  • The E-VERIFY system is an accurate, no-cost, internet –based federal database designed to verify the eligibility to legally work in the United States.  It is only intended for newly hired employees.  It is NOT a screening system.  More than 16,000 Georgia businesses already use E-VERIFY.
  • Require the use of secure and verifiable identification documents for any official use, including the dispensation of public benefits
  • Provide greater incentives for law enforcement agencies to participate in federal partnerships that will provide faster and more efficient identification and transfer of illegal aliens
  • Provides new tools for law enforcement to allow greater latitude in handling immigration issues

2.) Provides for greater opportunities to prosecute those that knowingly harbor or transport illegal aliens in our state, or that knowingly entice entrance of illegal aliens into our state  

3.) Provides greater opportunity for law enforcement officers to identify illegal aliens during the course of an investigation

4.) Provides penalties for government officials who fail to enforce state laws related to immigration

For those interested in reading the whole bill please do so here:

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/112069.pdf

State Rep. Donna Sheldon represents the 105th district which encompasses Dacula and Northeast Gwinnett County.


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