Image: Twitter/Getty

Mark Zuckerberg’s Group Lobbies Georgia GOP for More Low-Wage Labor

Breitbart News

Mark Zuckerberg’s group of West Coast investors is lobbying the GOP to keep illegal cheap labor flowing into Georgia.

The group’s political progress was spotlighted Tuesday, August 6, when a state GOP politician urged state officials to ignore the huge population of illegal migrant workers and renters in the state, according to a report in the Georgia Recorder:

Speaking at a lunch at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, state Sen. Chuck Payne (R-Dalton) touted the diverse makeup of the 54th District he represents. Payne estimated his district is 42% Latino. He said many of the Latinos living in the district immigrated 25 years ago and “simply want a better life not only for themselves, but for their children and their grandchildren.”

“The people that I represent are honest, they’re hard-working, seeking to realize the American dream,” said Payne.

…

Payne opposed state legislation that would have forced Georgia residents who are not American citizens to obtain driver’s licenses clearly stating that they are not citizens. The measure died in committee in part due to Payne’s vote against it.

Zuckerberg’s FWD.us lobbying group quickly endorsed Payne’s praise of cheap illegal labor:

Immigrants continuously serve as the foundation of our nation’s growth & success. Thank you @Chuck_Payne for supporting @FWDus Georgia office’s two-year anniversary & recognizing the power that comes when immigrants are seen, heard, and able to contribute. https://georgiarecorder.com/brief/state-senator-breaks-with-his-crowd-on-immigration/ …

FWD.us was created by West Coast billionaire investors — including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg — to preserve the annual inflow of roughly one million new legal immigrants. Investors value the migrants because they reduce the cost of workers and raise overall spending on housing, products, and services such as food delivery.

For example, the group is urging the Senate to pass the S.386 legislation, which would provide roughly 100,000 green cards to Indian graduates (and their families) who take white-collar jobs in the United States at low wages for long hours and are treated poorly. FWD.us has also lobbied for cheap labor in New York and Colorado, as well as in universities.

Payne lauded FWD.us’s hardline approach against enforcement, according to the Georgia Recorder: “The senator described his work with the group as “a moral imperative and a political obligation to my constituents and the health of our country and economy.”

Payne’s statement was also lauded by FWD.us’s lobbyist in Georgia, Sam Aguilar:

We’re proud to help drive smart immigration policy changes in Georgia that make our streets safer, encourage entrepreneurship, and contribute to sustained economic growth across our state. This year, we’re deepening our commitment to bipartisanship by working across party lines in support of access to higher education, and by working with a strong business coalition to identify – and stop – anti-immigrant bills before they hurt Georgia’s economy and our families.

Aguilar described the illegal migrants as Georgians, calling for an amnesty and continued high levels of legal immigration:

All Georgians deserve a government that treats immigrants with respect and dignity, and acknowledges their many financial contributions to our state’s economy and communities. Our long term goal is commonsense immigration reform that implements smart border security, protects and expands existing legal immigration avenues, and provides an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented people. Expanding our work at the state level will help us to better achieve comprehensive reform, and we believe these policy goals will strengthen Georgia as we continue to demand the immigration changes our country needs.

Before working for FWD.us, the Mexico-born Aguilar worked as a lobbyist for Galeo, an ethnic advocacy group that opposes state-level measures against illegal immigrants, such as state and local participation in the federal 287(g) program.

ICYMI: Last week, Georgia State Senator Chuck Payne joined renowned Atlanta artist @yehimicambron for a discussion of state and federal immigration legislation.

Check out more photos from the event here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1KF52rAqi_/ #GApol
View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter

See FWD.us’s other Tweets

On August 7, D.A. King, who lobbies for enforcement of state immigration laws, shared FWD.us’s tweeted endorsement of Payne, adding the comment, “This guy is w/o doubt the dimmest bulb in the legislature.”

In response, another FWD.us lobbyist, Jaime Rangel, tweeted a message to King saying, “Stay classy prick.”

Rangel is an illegal immigrant. He got a work permit from President Barack Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) administrative amnesty. In May 2019, while working for FWD.us, Rangel wrote:

Recently, I joined the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and legislative and community leaders to review the recent state legislative session and strategize for the next. The event included both Republican and Democratic state representatives and members of the media and public. Together, we discussed how we might pass legislation that will grow our economy and revitalize our rural regions. Many of us shared the understanding that immigrants, especially Dreamers, are essential to our state’s success.

I used my spot at the table to suggest two legislative proposals that will increase Dreamers’ participation in the workforce and ensure they continue to contribute to our success. First, state lawmakers should pass a law allowing Dreamers who grew up in Georgia to pay in-state tuition at our public schools.

…

Second, lawmakers should not support legislation that will put Dreamers’ driver’s licenses at risk …

Payne declined to respond to questions from Breitbart News. Todd Schulte, the director of FWD.us, also declined to answer questions.

The tacit alliance of business groups, ethnic lobbies, and Democrat politicians is also spotlighted by the debate over Georgia’s role in the 287(g) program, which allows state police to notify federal deportation agencies when illegals are arrested for local offenses.

The state’s Department of Public Safety is required by a 2011 state law to train officers in the 287(g) each year, but it is not on the federal list of trained agencies. Six other law enforcement agencies in Georgia are on the list, including Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

In July, Latino groups tried to exclude King from a public debate over the 287(g) program, which promotes cooperation between federal deportation agents and local police. Galeo opposes the 287(g) enforcement program. Read the rest here