Perdue should sign bills affecting illegal immigration

By D.A. King
Guest Columnist

"How can they pass a law like this? Mexico is not prepared for this, for the tremendous problems." - Mexican Rep. Leticia Amparano Gamez, quoted in the Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen newspaper on the thousands of Mexicans who are returning home as a result of Arizona legislation directed at illegal employment and illegal immigration.

In an amusing bit of irony, officials in the Mexican state of Sonora are publicly complaining about being overwhelmed with demands for housing, services and schools to accommodate repatriated "migrants" who were formally residing in the U.S. illegally.

The neighboring Mexican state is dealing with the fact that Arizona is demonstrating what is recognized all over the U.S. where state and local governments have acted on the crime of illegal immigration: Enforcement works.

To that end, along with some insightful resolutions, the recently ended Georgia legislative session has produced several bills that - combined with Senator Chip Rogers' (R- Woodstock) 2006 Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act - could add to the woes of the Mexican officials.

From someone who spent more than half of the 40 legislative session days under the Gold Dome working to encourage legislators to disregard the endless objections and mindless howls from the usual suspects in the open-borders lobby, a short outline of some of what the well-funded leftists fought so hard to stop.

From state Sen. John Wiles (R-north Cobb), Senate Bill 350 would punish any Georgia resident - including illegal aliens - caught driving in Georgia without ever having obtained a Georgia driver's license. Presently, unlicensed driving usually results in a small fine that is regarded as little more than a speed bump by untrained and unlicensed illegal drivers. SB 350 allows for fingerprinting violators, fines of up to $1,000 and jail time for the first offense, with a felony charge if convicted more than three times in five years.

Besides being a deterrent to illegal immigration, SB 350 would save lives on Georgia roads. Maybe it would have saved Cobb Sheriff's Deputy Loren Lilly, who was killed when he was run off the road by an unlicensed illegal alien in December 2006.

This is the second year Wiles has fought for passage of his legislation. Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed a nearly identical bill last year. Sen. Wiles deserves our thanks for his dedication to public safety and his courage in standing up to the crazies in the illegal alien lobby.

Ditto for Rep. James Mills (R-Gainesville), whose House Bill 978 allows law enforcement officers to impound the vehicles of drivers found to be driving without being licensed - the huge majority of whom are illegals. The fact that federal law allows for the seizure of any vehicle or craft found to be transporting illegal aliens does not silence the absurd argument that this is somehow "unconstitutional" or "anti-immigrant."

SB 421, sponsored by Sen. Chip Pearson (R- Dawsonville), makes it a felony for the second violation of the crime of knowingly manufacturing, selling, distributing or possessing false identification documents. Even for illegal aliens who have stolen American citizens' identities in order to steal the "American Dream."

These bills have all the right enemies - including Jerry Gonzalez of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and the sinister MALDEF - who are working for a veto from the governor.

This legislation deserves enthusiastic and vocal support from Georgia citizens.

Two Senate resolutions are also noteworthy, final and cannot be vetoed. SR 827 written by Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville), expresses the will of the Georgia Senate to urge Congress to withdraw our country from the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and from any activity that seeks the economic merger of the United States with other nations - like has happened with the European Union.

SR 1011 from Sen. Bill Jackson (R-Appling) offers gratitude and appreciation to U.S. Border Patrol and urges the president to review the ludicrous incarceration of former Border Patrol agents Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean. Both were prosecuted for improperly wounding an illegal alien smuggling drugs.

It was not a good session for those who promote and defend illegal immigration - if the governor lets enforcement work. I am going to call his office right now at (404) 656-1776 and ask him to sign these important bills into Georgia law.

D.A. King is president of the Cobb-based Dustin Inman Society, which is opposed to illegal immigration. On the Web: www.TheDustinInmanSociety.org