ATLANTA — Nine protesters were arrested Tuesday for disrupting a meeting for the Georgia Board of Regents at the Capitol.
Among them were several clergy leaders, professors and Jordan Klepper, a comedian known for his satire, work on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."
Freedom University, a non-profit serving undocumented students, organized the protest, which sought to change two of the board's policies that deal with undocumented students. The first is a ban that prevents undocumented students from enrolling in some of the state's top public colleges, like the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. The second mandates undocumented students must pay out-of-state tuition, even if they have lived here most of their lives or have temporary protection from deportation, like DACA.
According to multiple reports from Variety and TMZ, Klepper was with the other eight protesters to film a segment for an upcoming documentary series. When the protesters began chanting and refused to leave, they were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. A video online shows the group holding hands while an officer attempts to make an arrest.
The comedian addressed the arrest on Instagram and Twitter, writing, "Yesterday I learned many things. Police cars are not built for lanky giraffe bodies was one. Another, there are good people fighting good fights across this land," he said. "In Georgia they are denying college admission and tuition benefits to undocumented students. These are students who pay taxes, grew up here and want to learn and give back to their community. We need more thoughtful, curious, educated young adults dedicated to making this place better. Education is a human right. Places like Freedom University are fighting the good fight. I was honored to stand with them and the other community faith leaders, teachers and protestors [sic]."
Photos: 9 protesters arrested during Georgia Board of Regents meeting
Matt Laney, a minister with Virginia Highland Church, was one of those arrested in the protest. In video of his arrests, Laney can be heard saying, "overcome segregation in education again today by allowing undocumented students, undocumented young people to participate fully in Georgia's system of higher education. Amen."
Laney told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez Wednesday that Atlanta - and Georgia, more widely - is not living up to its reputation as the "city of the dream."
"We are not living up to who we are as the city and the state of civil rights," he said.
Laney explained that his role there was that of a faith minister, showing that the "hallmark on all religions is an emphasis on loving your neighbor."
"For us, that means to love your immigrant neighbor, to love your Dreamer neighbor, to know that our neighbor might not look like us, may not have the same background as us, but they are our neighbors now and we need to do everything we can to love and support them to be the people that God created them to be," Laney said.
Also arrested was also Charmaine Minniefield with Freedom University.
"I feel strongly that, yes, I understand this idea of regulating borders, but if it comes to the threat of human dignity or the denial of basic human rights, like education, no, I don't believe in it," Minniefield said.
Raymond Partolan, an immigration paralegal, said federal law requires undocumented students be allowed to attend school from kindergarten to twelfth grade, but when it comes to college, that depends on each state.
A common misconception is that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes. In 2012, in Georgia, immigrants without legal status in the United States paid $352 million in state and local taxes, according to the Migration Policy institute. Immigration advocates argue that while those immigrants are still paying taxes, they aren't reaping the benefits. And while private colleges and out-of-state tuition at public ones are an option, for many, it's not possible.
"Some people say, 'oh, they could just go to some private college somewhere,' well they could, but that takes a lot of money, would often require them to leave state, leave their homes where they may have an important role to their families, it's just not realistic," Laney explained.