Georgia gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes previous attitudes toward illegal immigration and how to react to that crime here in Georgia has become a topic of discussion in the political blogs recently. So has opponent Nathan Deal’s business use – or not – of the no-cost federal E-Verify database.

So has Georgia Appleseed Inc.

Yesterday’s Political Insider blog reports on the confrontation on illegal immigration records (Your morning jolt: Of illegal immigration and old newspaper clippings ) . On the subscription only Insider Advantage Georgia site today (Is Roy Barnes Soft On Illegal Immigration? Nathan Deal?) , along with a similar note, a little known Georgia group called “Georgia Appleseed” is also mentioned.

As someone who has spent years demanding enforcement of American immigration laws, struggled to encourage the use of E-Verify in Georgia and to shine some light on the pillars of the community at the non-profit Georgia Appleseed, Let me toss a few things that need to be said into the mix.

This long-time American is one of the many who asks why all employers don’t use E-Verify – including Georgia’s public employers and their contractors who are in violation of a 2006 state law that requires exactly that. Did I mention it is free to use and effective? (Or that it is mandatory for most federal contractors? Or that the United States Chamber of Commerce sued in federal court multiple times to stop that mandate?)

While there are clearly no allegations of impropriety, Deal is being asked why his business has not been using E-Verify. A fair question. So is asking why Roy Barnes business, Barnes Law Group LLC, is not an E-Verify user. Just a guess, but it seems likely that a large and active employer like this hires folks periodically.

Why is no one else asking?

A current list of E-Verify users (607 pages – to September 3, 2010) that comes from the E-Verify office at DHS does not include Barnes Law Group LLC.

To respond in advance to the obvious question: Yes, the Dustin Inman Society (DIS) is on the list, page 222. DIS, of which I am president, and sweeper, has been an authorized E-Verify user since June, 2005. If only we had the ability to hire help.

In an August 1st Marietta Daily Journal commentary column , Barnes responded to several questions presented from here on what he would do to discourage illegal immigration here in Georgia if elected. So did Deal. The 2010 Roy Barnes seems to have drastically changed his outlook on the crisis and how to welcome – or not – the victims of geography who escape capture at our borders and refuse to go home as promised when they get visas from his position reported in a 2001 AJC news report.

I can’t help but note that Deal’s answers and promises are in line with the pro-enforcement line he has always taken.

GEORGIA APPLESEED

The well-heeled Georgia Appleseed folks, including Roy Barnes, can’t be happy about seeing their outfit in print today. Georgia Appleseed is part of a nationwide “Appleseed” network that promotes special privileges and treatment of illegal aliens. The entire network, Georgia Appleseed included, is essentially a front for the banking industry that makes billions from banking “the unbanked” and “remittances,” the money wired out of the country by what it constantly refers to as “immigrants” or “Hispanics.”

Some facts about Georgia Appleseed that have and will escape discussion by the too-polite and uncurious media.

Warning, it may be best to position a bottle of Pepto-Bismol nearby for this part of our story.

The stated mission of Georgia Appleseed : “To listen to the unheard voices of the poor, the children, the marginalized; to uncover and end the injustices that we would not endure ourselves; to win the battles for our constituency in the courts of public opinion or in the halls of justice that no one else is willing or able to fight.”

Remember that little tear-jerker gem when you see the list of publications on the Georgia Appleseed Website. And remember this from these oh-so noble, enlightened people who are “sowing the seeds of justice”: The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world.

Let’s start with “Immigration” and go through “Education” to “Banking.” Note: For purposes of agenda and goals of Georgia Appleseed, these categories could easily be combined into “How to profit from the illegal immigration and stop enforcement that would end the influx of the Golden Geese.”

“PUBLICATIONS” – FROM THE GEORGIA APPLESEED WEBSITE

“IMMIGRATION:

Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation”

(2009), This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. “Protecting Assets” provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.

Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement; A Legal Guide for Advocates

Revised and updated (2008), Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas contains legal and practical guidelines to combat local anti-immigrant ordinances.

(Special note here for the unaware. This one instructs the reader on how to impede or stop the far- too-successful federal 287(g) program that trains and authorizes local law enforcement to help enforce immigration laws. A quick look at the “Acknowledgements” (page 2) illustrates the sources of the tome. Note the ACLU, the Immigration Law Center, the Center for Community Change and the National Council of La Raza (The Race) and the usual well-funded suspects in the anti-enforcement, amnesty-again mob. It is very similar to an ACLU publication created for the same purpose, but slightly toned down so as to be better suited to cocktail parties at the club)

ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Access to Higher Education in Georgia for Undocumented Students: “Visiting the Sins…” by Denying In-State Tuition Eligibility

(top of the news info on reactions and candidate positions on the topic HERE )

BANKING

Remittance Transparency: Strengthening Business, Building CommunityProject Summary/Key Findings

Banking in a Global Market: A Financial Institution Guide for Offering International Remittance Services

This publication offers a step-by-step approach to establishing a remittance program that is beneficial to both consumers and the financial institutions serving them. The report describes several effective remittance programs, drawing on the experiences of financial institutions in Georgia and throughout the U.S. Executive Summary | Supplement

The Fair Exchange: Improving the Market for International Remittances

This report is a preliminary step toward launching a market-based initiative that would help consumers choose the best remittance value and differentiate between industry players. It provides an opportunity for the industry to work cooperatively with consumer organizations to achieve common goals. The next steps in the process include a limited pilot to test the disclosure in a market setting, and then expanded implementation if the pilot proves successful. These pilots should lay a solid foundation for future work establishing the Fair Exchange. Executive Summary

Creating a Fair Playing Field for Consumers: The Need for Transparency in the U.S.-Mexico Remittance Market

The money flowing from the United States to Mexico currently represents the largest remittance market in the world. To provide a more complete picture of the impact of the exchange rate spread on pricing, Appleseed Centers collected and analyzed exchange rate data for wiring money from the United States to Mexico. Our study revealed that unpredictable and undisclosed rates make it extremely difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about remitting money to Mexico, and keep the market from operating efficiently for three primary reasons: lack of marketplace transparency, lack of consistent access to correct pricing information, and lack of standardized pricing disclosure practices. Our report offers three recommendations on how to best handle the problem, any one of which would build greater transparency — and consumer protection — into the remittance market.

Expanding Immigrant Access to Mainstream Financial Services

This paper (sic) aim to stimulate a discussion on how best to overcome challenges and build on successes to realize the important social and economic benefits of bringing immigrant communities into the financial mainstream. They outline positive market practices targeting Latin American immigrants and the needs, opportunities, and next steps for expanding and improving financial services for low- and moderate-income immigrant communities. For further reading, see Appleseed’s Next Steps

The light switch already went to ON in the kitchen: Before I could get all of this pecked out starting this AM, I see that Georgia Appleseed has issued a special press statement concerning how they may be “mis-characterized in the current political campaign…”

Don’t forget to remember this: They are a self-proclaimed “public interest law center”.

DO NOT FOLLOW THE MONEY.

MUCH More on the Georgia Appleseed and the lack of media attention these seekers of justice so richly deserve HERE (Scroll down)