Georgia House bets on illegal immigrants after Athens murder

A bill requiring local law enforcement to enforce a 2006 state law that targets illegal immigration has successfully passed the Republican-controlled GeorgiaHouse of Representatives.

Bill 1105, which passed by a 97-74 vote, mostly along party lines, was filed in the wake of the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old medical school student, on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens last week. A 26-year-old Venezuelan man, allegedly in the country illegally, was charged with the crime.

The bill requires local sheriffs and jailers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Those local agencies that fail to determine the nationality of suspects detained at local jails and fail to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of a suspected illegal immigrant would face the possibility of taking state funds and state-authorized federal funds.

Georgia law already prohibits sanctuary cities," said Gowston Gaines, a full-time Republican state representative from Athens, addressing his House colleagues before Thursday's vote. "House Bill 1105 ensures that sanctuary policies do not gain a foothold in local government."

"We have the biggest border crisis in our nation's history," added Jesse Petrea, a Republican state representative from Savannah, the bill's chief sponsor. "Millions of people are crossing our border illegally.

But Democratic Rep. Stacey Evans, of Atlanta, said the bill would force local law enforcement to focus on finding illegal immigrants instead of allowing them to focus on violent offenders regardless of their nationality. "It limits the ability of law enforcement agencies that are trying to combat high crime," she said.

Other opponents of the bill argued that it would encourage race-based rule-breaking, which would discourage law-abiding citizens with light skin or accents from reporting criminal activity to police. "Fewer people who are suspected of something will 'see something and talk about it,'" said Democratic Rep. Marvin Lim.

The bill now goes to the Georgia Senate.