Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed immigration enforcement legislation pushed in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s death.
Kemp said at the signing that the legislation, which was sent to his desk in late March, “became one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley,” who was found dead on the University of Georgia’s campus in February.
After Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with the murder of Riley, Republican lawmakers have used the incident to push for stricter immigration policies.
“If you enter our country illegally and proceed to commit further crimes in our communities, we will not allow your crimes to go unanswered,” Kemp said at the signing.
The measure signed Wednesday, HB 1105, requires local and state law officials to verify the immigration status of those over the age of 18 who have been arrested, those in detention or those who an “officer has probable cause to believe” have committed a crime.
Local law enforcement agencies who do not cooperate with immigration officials could lose state funding, and local officials who do not work with immigration authorities could face misdemeanor charges.
Proponents of the legislation call it a public safety bill, and national Republicans have often tied crime and undocumented immigrants — though research has found no connection.
However, Latino organizations told CNN they’re concerned this may lead to racial profiling and cases where US citizens are mistaken for undocumented immigrants solely because of the color of their skin or their accent.
Pedro Marin, the longest-serving Latino member of the Georgia House of Representatives, said during debate that lawmakers are pursuing “fear as a strategy”
“But our community cannot and should not be collectively punished for the horrific actions of one,” he said in February.
Last month, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a similar bill requiring law enforcement in the state to inform federal officials of the immigration status of a person in their custody and to cooperate with efforts to detain and remove undocumented immigrants from the country.
Similarly, Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three new bills in March targeting undocumented migrants that increase the maximum sentence for people driving illegally without a license; enhance penalties for a crime committed by an individual who returns to the country after deportation, and establish that Florida will not recognize identifications issued to undocumented migrants.
