ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers are considering new immigration bills in light of the arrest of an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant being charged with the murder of a nursing student found dead on the University of Georgia's campus last week.
The toughest immigration bill introduced within the last day would create a tracking system for noncitizens who show up in county jails — and it would share the information with federal authorities.
Law enforcement should have full access to information about immigrants arrested for major crimes, according to Republican state insurance commissioner John King – a Mexican-born former police chief, who is also a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Reserve and has previously led the Doraville police department.
"The idea that somebody could commit a violent felony, we ought to know who they are. Before they are released on bail, we ought to know what their status is. We ought to know about their ties to this community," King said.
King said courts should be able to withhold bond for undocumented immigrants charged with major felonies. He added he’s sympathetic with his fellow Republicans trying to write new laws to address immigrants accused of major crimes.
"People don’t realize that a lot of these individuals are predators in the Latino community. Because victims are afraid to report those crimes, their voices are never heard," King said.
Lawmakers are considering a new bill requiring local law enforcement to contact federal immigration authorities if “an inmate (is) identified as an illegal alien” and can detain them for up to 48 hours for federal processing, releasing them if federal authorities decline to transfer them.
King said Georgia authorities should be sure to target immigrants accused only of serious crimes.
"You know, I don’t think we should play too heavy of a hand in that area. Let's start this conversation with... the deadly sins (felonies)," he said.
However, some Democrats are nervous about the new Republican emphasis on prosecuting immigrants.
"I think passing bills to criminalize immigrants, that in my opinion... goes against fundamentals the United States was built on," said State Rep. Solomon Adesanya (R-Marietta).
"Criminals are everywhere in all communities. They don’t come as immigrants. They don’t come as U.S. citizens. They're just people who are bad," added State Rep. Segun Adeyina (D-Norcross).
For these bills to pass, they would need to pick up traction pretty quickly. There's a key deadline on Thursday called "Crossover Day," which is when bills have to pass either the House or the Senate. There's also a full slate of committee hearings scheduled on Wednesday.