On the first day of the Georgia legislative session, the Dustin Inman Society held a press conference to outline the refusal of local governments in Georgia to comply with the Georgia security and Immigration Compliance Act and to welcome Ms. Inger Eberhart as the newest member of the Dustin Inman Society’s Board of Advisors. The event was well attended by local and national media and we are grateful to the many Georgia eleted officials who joned us to show their support.

Inger made some remarks to the assembly that I think are well worthy of recording, which I do below. ( ADDED 23 January, 2009 – Marietta Daily Journal video of entire press conference HERE )

Welcome to the struggle for justice for Americans in America Inger! A few photos HERE

Good afternoon, my name is Inger Eberhart, I am a proud Georgia and Atlanta native. I am happy to be here today.

D.A. King is a tireless advocate for justice for the American worker and I am very proud to be associated with him and the Dustin Inman Society.

I hope to be able to assist D.A. in the wonderful work he has been doing for the last five years. My intent is to spend as much time as possible here in the Capitol during the legislative session doing what I can as citizen to urge all concerned to do everything we can to guarantee the equal application of the rule of law.

I will be focused on the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act of 2006.

Like D.A., I am opposed to the crimes of illegal immigration and employment at any time, but even more so during these desperate economic times when the poorest Americans are losing jobs and services. It is not a secret that the first Americans affected by illegal immigration are black Americans and native born Hispanics.

The U.S. has a rich tradition of lawful immigration and we should be proud of that fact. Having said that, I have been watching it happen, and believe that the constant attempt to blur the line between real, legal immigrants and illegal aliens is a shameful and transparent insult to real immigrants and our history of immigration.

As D.A. points out quite often, it is easy to tell the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien: Immigrants do not require amnesty.

I believe that our legal immigration levels should be reasonable and sustainable and that immigration should serve the interests of the American people.

Again I am very proud to be here and for the opportunity to be able to join D.A.’s efforts. I will do my best to respectfully share my opinions and provide input on pending legislation in committee during the legislative session.

While I don’t want to dwell on it today, I want to make something very clear: I am aware of an ongoing effort to equate illegal immigration and people who are living in the United States in defiant violation of our laws to the civil rights struggle and African-Americans who in our past have been denied the rights of U.S. citizens.

As a black American, I regard this as a despicable and disgusting affront.

Noting that she was the first black American woman to be elected to Congress from the deep south, I want to close by noting the wisdom of the late Barbara Jordan in one of her 1995 reports to Congress after she was appointed by then president Bill Clinton to Chair a Commission to study and make official recommendations on gaining credibility on immigration: “Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave — deportation is crucial. Employer sanctions can work”.

The Jordan Commission’s advice was as reasonable, valid, and instructive today as is was then. I will be respectfully reminding people of that for as long as necessary.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen …and thank you D.A.

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AP report on the event HERE