Proposed Legislation Yields Call for a "New" Georgia

Over 100 supporters gathered for a rally sponsored by the Coalition for a New Georgia. The rally sought to raise awareness and urge voters to oppose pending legislation aimed at limiting the rights of immigrant citizens.

While keeping a watchful eye on anti-immigration counter-protestors on an opposite street corner, representatives from such varied groups as the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Morehouse College and the Association of Colombian Professionals in Atlanta joined with numerous Latin American organizations to fight against the passage of legislation that unfairly targets immigrant communities. Of utmost concern for advocates is the Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act (more commonly known as Senate Bill 529), which was introduced by Senator Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) on February 9, 2006.

Among other things, the legislation proposed by Rogers will prevent undocumented immigrants from obtaining drivers’ licenses and will severely punish contractors who employ such immigrants. Also included in this legislation is a requirement for police to check the citizenship status of all persons arrested for criminal violations.

To the crowd gathered on the steps of the Capitol braving Sunday’s frigid temperatures, the initiation SB 529 and the sometimes hostile counter-protestors mean only one thing: despite years of struggle for human rights and civil rights, Georgia still has a long way to go.

Recognizing that the effect of such legislation could be devastating for many immigrant communities, numerous speakers highlighted the various problems that passing such a law would cause. Not only would migrants to the U.S. be ineligible to work in Georgia without proving citizenship, but they would be barred from receiving any state or federal benefits or subsidies. Also of great concern is the potential for racial profiling that exists when law enforcement officers are forced to verify citizenship, a point noted by speaker Officer Frank Figueroa of DeKalb County Police.

The possibility of such profiling gave RAKSHA’s Sonali Sadequee common ground for her speech highlighting the plight of the South Asian merchant’s being targeted by Operation Meth Merchant in North Georgia. After exposing the fact that police sting operations targeted the small minority of convenience stores owned by South Asians and revealing the disparity in sentencing and punishment for the immigrants versus their white counterparts, Sadequee stressed to the crowd that victimization of one group is of concern to all minority groups.

The crowd, consisting mostly of Latino and Hispanic migrants, voiced their commiseration when Sadequee recounted the numerous incidents of harassment, embarrassment and indignity immigrants suffer at the hands of police, public officials and the public at large. She urged all communities represented to band together to stamp out the injustice and prejudice that puts immigrants at such risk.

The Coalition for a New Georgia, an umbrella human rights group, has organized town-hall meetings and press rallies across the state to bring to light the issues facing migrants in Georgia.