Georgia’s former University System of Georgia Chancellor, Erroll Davis, was recently quoted in the AJC as saying that the current policy of keeping illegal aliens out of some USG schools and charging them out-of-state tuition at the remaining institutions equated to segregationist “Jim Crow” laws.

Trained on coverage by the New York Times Institute on Immigration Reporting at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Institute for Justice and Journalism on Immigration, the AJC’s Jeremy Redmon wrote “Davis, who is black, said he sees parallels between the enforcement of those policies today and the Jim Crow era when African-Americans were barred from certain public institutions…”

Davis has had a change of heart on the restrictions. He was chancellor when the above policy was implemented, but he is not alone in the disgusting comparison. The “it’s Jim Crow!” angle on mainstream America’s objection to rewarding illegal immigration is boilerplate rhetoric for the totalitarian, anti-borders crowd.

Davis’ race-baiting here approaches that of Emiko Soltis who is Executive Director and Professor of Human Rights and Social Movements at something calling itself “Freedom University”. According to its website, “Freedom University is a modern-day freedom school based in Atlanta. We provide rigorous college preparation classes, college and scholarship application assistance, and leadership development for undocumented students in Georgia.”

The ‘college prep’ courses aimed at victims of borders at Georgia’s FU include

*‘Border Studies: Immigration, Identity, and the Undocumented Student Movement’

* A People's History of the United States

* Mindfulness and Compassion: The Science, Theory, and Practice of Meditation

* Race, Immigration, and Incarceration in the United States

* Human Rights in the United States: History, Theory, and Skill-Building for Social Change

* Global Migration in the Americas: Rethinking Race, Gender, and Labor.

Use of the word “undocumented” in FU’s self-description is rather amusing, as Soltis herself allowed to the fellow progressives at Atlanta’s WABE radio early this year “the term “undocumented” is racial code.”

“None of these bans would’ve been passed if they said, “let’s ban brown students.” Soltis explained to the WABE “Closer Look” crew.

It looks like both Davis and Soltis may be trying to say that protecting our university system for residents with legal status is a civil rights violation. Or that all minorities are illegal aliens. Or that all illegal aliens are minorities. It’s confusing. Somebody should ask them about it.

Emiko Soltis is a graduate of Emory University, which is in the news for its consideration of implementing a “sanctuary policy” for illegal alien students to go along with its already in-place scholarship program for illegals.

For readers trying to sort through the confusing priorities of the identity politics/ illegal alien lobby and keep score on all this, add the fact that former Chancellor Erroll Davis is quite proud of a scholarship program administered in his name.

The Alliant Energy Corporation, where Davis served variously as President, CEO, and Chairman from 1998 to 2006 when he became Georgia’s USG Chancellor sponsors the Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Award. But, not all students are eligible. To receive the tuition help, students must be either legal immigrants or, (gulp)…U.S. citizens.

And white students need not apply.

To be considered for the Erroll B. Davis Academic Achievement Award, student applicants must be “African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Southeast Asian or from a racial or ethnic group traditionally underrepresented in the fields of Engineering or Business.”

Maybe WABE will take a “closer look” at the difference in opinion on college admissions and what constitutes “racial code?”

Georgia voters have their own opinions on illegal aliens and higher education. In the last state-wide poll, two-thirds of Georgians wanted to bar “the undocumented” from attending taxpayer-funded state universities - at any tuition rate.

Sixty-seven percent of people polled in September 2010 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Georgia Newspaper Partnership favor a law requiring proof of legal residency to even attend a Georgia college or university.

This majority outlook reflects the intent of 2006 state legislation, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, part of which was written to keep all illegals out of all tax-funded post secondary schools.

Regardless of what the soon-to-be President Trump does or does not do in office, Georgia lawmakers should take a stand and clarify state laws on admissions and any public subsidies to any post-secondary education of any illegal aliens.

Let’s not allow Emiko Soltis and Erroll Davis to dictate Georgia’s higher-ed policy.

D.A. King is president of the Cobb-based Dustin Inman Society Twitter: @DAKDIS