Portions of Gov. Deal's HB 87 Blocked

Loganville-Grayson, GA Patch

According to the civil action file, section 8 of the bill “authorizes Georgia law enforcement officers to investigate the immigration status of criminal suspects where the officer has probable cause to believe the suspect committed another criminal offense.”   

If an immigrant does not have proper documentation on him, the police officer would have been able to detain him and place him in jail, or report him to the Department of Homeland Security.   

That section was blocked.   

Additionally, section 7, which would penalize anyone “transporting, moving, concealing or harboring illegal aliens,” was blocked. A fine of up to $250,000 would have been imposed. 

You can read the civil suit in its entirety here.    

NPR

 "The defendants wildly exaggerate the scope of the federal crime of harboring under (the law) when they claim that the Plaintiffs are violating federal immigration law by giving rides to their friends and neighbors who are illegal aliens," he said. 

The judge was especially critical of that provision, blasting the state's assertion that federal immigration enforcement is "passive." Thrash noted that federal immigration officers remove more than 900 foreign citizens from the country on an average day. 

He also wrote that the state measure would overstep the enforcement boundaries established by federal law. Thrash noted that there are thousands of illegal immigrants in Georgia because of the "insatiable demand in decades gone by for cheap labor" in the agriculture and construction industries. But he said the federal government gives priority to prosecuting and removing illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.

 The entire bill, which goes into effect on July 1, hasn't been blocked just these portions. The section of the bill that makes it a felony to provide false information on a job application will still go into effect. Even still this is very positive news. I'm proud of U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. for doing what is right and just. There still is a long road ahead however. If you want to help overturn HB 87 there will be protests on July 1st and 2nd. Not perfect, but I can't deny that this is great news for immigrants in the state of Georgia.