Tim Bryant, host: As I understand it, passed in the senate, died in the house, uh, would have changed the way these undocumented immigrants are documented for driving purposes for driving in Georgia. What would that have done, and assuming you try it again next year, what will it do?
Sen. McKoon:[00:01:00] Well, we uh, were originally were just trying to outright prohibit the issuance of any driving document to folks without legal uh, status. And so, we wound up compromising and agreeing on allowing a driver’s safety card to issue to these individuals so they could at least drive, but it would be distinguishable from the drivers licence that’s issued to uh, Georgia citizens. And the reason for that being, you and I both know a driver’s licence isn’t just used uh, to be a be able to show that you’re lawfully able to drive, it’s used, sort of the gold standard of identification. In my line of work as a an attorney I have to present a driver’s licence to enter the secure area of a federal courthouse, people use them to rent cars, purchase explosives, um, there are all kinds of uses for a Georgia driver’s licence and the fact that we were simply, and are continuing now to issue them to people who we really can’t verify who they are or where they’re from is a serious public safety concern.
Tim Bryant: And evidently we’re going to do more of that now. The settlement this week, and it’s bring us up to today, the Georgia Drivers Services Department, what we used to call the DMV, has stopped asking immigrants who have federal work permits and are applying for green cards to submit proof of legal admission before they can get state driver’s licences. That’s a court settlement. They don’t have to document themselves for the purpose of getting those keys to the kingdom, that driver’s licence you’re talking about.
Sen. McKoon:[00:02:00] Exactly. And, and keep in mind that every illegal alien who has received deferred action from President Obama fits this category. They’ve all been given federal work permits, they’ve all been give social security numbers, conceivably all of them could be applying for permanent resident status. And that’s over 100,000 people in Georgia alone, so the notion that this is just about a handful of people who are here legally is not true. Um, we’re talking about people who have never been able to demonstrate that they were, uh, that they were in the United States legally, but now essentially the drivers, uh department of drivers services is going to be forced to issue these, and it’s because of our failure to pass legislation like senate bill six. The legislature needs to act on this, I understand why DDS entered into this settlement because frankly under current state law they didn’t have, uh, a good leg to stand on legally. So we need to give them that by passing senate bill six, or a bill like it next year.
[00:03:00]Jennifer Pointer co-host:Senator McKoon, uh, do you think it is um, not an an upside to this, or an upside that at least if the illegal aliens have driver’s licence, we’ll know their address, we’ll know… we’ll have their picture ID, we’ll know their location, and so we have more of a, I guess a track record on them than we do now.
Sen. McKoon:[00:04:00] I think that, y’know, there’s some assumptions being made there about what information is provided and the accuracy of the information that’s being provided. I mean there’s a lot of well documented, uh, cases where these licences are being issued to people and then they’re used, they’re attempted to be used to cast votes. North Carolina had a big problem with that. We’re also again issuing these identity cards to people who, y’know we don’t really know where they’re from. We don’t really know their background, and frankly I think that creates other security issues. So, I think that the dangers of issuing these licences far outweigh any marginal benefit for the few that might accurately report where they’re living on the driver’s licence.
Tim Bryant: No, we have to connect a lot of dots it seems to me Senator McKoon, to make the voter fraud case. You referenced concerns about that in North Carolina. What what we have to do I think, or what we have to believe is that you gotta, you’ve some kind of concerted effort to get people to get people to enter this country illegally, that is not without some risk, to get here, to go through the process of getting themselves a driver’s licence for the purposes of illegally registering to vote, and then going and actually casting ballots. That’s a lot of stuff. I mean are many people, is there a concern that many people are going to be doing that?
McKoon:[00:05:00] Well, as I said, there were documented cases of this happening in North Carolina. Is that the only reason people are trying to get these driver’s licences, absolutely not. Uh, but again, the question we’ve got to start asking ourselves is, y’know drive- the issuance of a Georgia driver’s licence is not a right, its a privilege. And the notion that we’re going to hand them out not just to people who aren’t citizens but to people who came into the country illegally and who still do not have lawful status in the country, uh, to me is just uh, it’s bad public policy. And I think its part of a sort of incremental move by folks on the left to erode any distinction of citizenship.
[00:06:00] We’ve seen out in California these moves now to allow illegal aliens to actually stand for local elected offices. We’re seeing moves here in Georgia to draw districts, uh, commission districts in Gwinnett county, in part based on the population of illegal aliens in Gwinette county. Uh, we saw a bill last year that was offered by Brad [Rathensburger 00:05:50] to limit boards and commissions uh memberships to US citizens that couldn’t get passed through the general assembly. All these things in my opinion are part of a broader agenda uh by open borders activists, and people that essentially want to erode any distinction that’s made between a US citizen, and someone who’s broken our law to enter the country illegally.
Jennifer Pointer: So Senator McKoon, are those some of the dangers that you were talking about earlier when you said that you think the dangers of this uh, outweigh the benefits?
McKoon:[00:07:00] Yes, I mean I think that’s definitely part of it. I think part of it, it’s very real uh, the concern from a security standpoint, uh that someone who comes into the country illegally, uh, intending to do harm to this country, intending to commit some kind of act of terrorism. Uh, for them to be able to get their hands on a driver’s licence and access secure areas of government buildings, rent vehicles, purchase explosives, those are all things that we, we ought to be trying to prevent. We should not be uh, making ourselves an even more soft target than we already are. And so, again, to issue these driver’s licences where the average citizen’s got to go get their original birth certificate, social security card, there are all these real…
Jennifer Pointer: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Sen. McKoon: …ID requirements, all these illegal aliens have to do is go to the consulate, get some identity documents issued and plop ’em before DDS and bam, they’ve got a driver’s licence. That just doesn’t make common sense, and so that’s why, y’know, we’ll be coming back next year, uh, myself and other legislators, to try and tighten up our laws, so that, uh, right now I think that the number is over 20,000 illegals that have these driver’s licence, by the end of the year maybe that number is double because of this decision.
Tim Bryant: All right, Senator Josh McKoon, you answered the question I was gonna ask, another bite out of the apple that is senate bill six, or something very much like it in 2017, you’re planning for that?
[00:08:00] Sen. McKoon:Absolutely, I mean I think this is a real and present danger, I think it’s something that we’ve got to address for the multiple reasons we’ve talked about this morning, um, and whether it’s myself sort of leading the charge on it or other members of the general assembly. A number of general assembly members have contacted me since this decision issued, there’s a lot of new interest in this, so I certainly expect well see it next year.
Tim Bryant: Senator Josh McKoon, thanks so much for your time this morning.
My answer to attacks — and exposing liberal version of “progress”
by State Sen. Josh McKoon | Jun 9, 2016 | The Forum
In politics it is good to have all the right enemies.
I want to thank the gang over at Better Georgia for constantly illustrating their extreme leftist politics and Saul Alinsky smear tactics in their ongoing, hate-filled personal attacks on me. Although I lack the time or inclination to indulge these characters very often, I will share a few observations on their entry into immigration enforcement-related assaults.
Take a look at a recent Better Georgia blog ( Undocumented and Unwelcomed ) railing against the premise of official English in Georgia and the related Senate legislation I offered in the 2016 session.
A rather angry and bitter young Better Georgia writer, Crystal Munoz, includes the usual and tired false premise that America is awash in “xenophobia” which she claims is manifested in immigration-related laws designed to protect American jobs, benefits and services for people with legal immigration status. Note that in the first paragraph, the victims of this “xenophobia” are “undocumented immigrants.” Then, in the second paragraph they become “immigrants” and, finally, using her Alinsky race-baiting training, a sentence later the topic is skin color.
Munoz also expresses Better Georgia’s opposition to my bill, SB6, which in its final form would have required DDS to alter the drivers licenses Georgia is issuing to illegal aliens with clear notation of their illegal status. In March, SB6 passed the Senate with a two-thirds majority. And it had the votes to pass the House had it been allowed a hearing there.
Munoz also hopes to perpetuate the oft-told lie that my official English legislation was an effort at “English only” in Georgia. In fact, SR675 – which passed the Senate with a two-thirds majority and had the votes to pass the House – was aimed at constitutionally codifying English as Georgia’s official language of government while providing common-sense constitutional protections for non-English speakers in public safety, medical treatment, education, law enforcement, courtroom situations, to promote diplomacy, trade, commerce and to protect the rights of victims of crimes and defendants.
As an aside, it may be educational for readers to take a minute to consider the commonality of the goals and objections here to official English and support for drivers licenses to illegal aliens between the rabidly-liberal Better Georgia activists and many of the powerful business forces posing as “conservatives” who lobby in the state Capitol… READ THE REST HERE
SB 6 is in the Senate Public Safety Committee and has been there for a year with no hearing. The committee chairman is state Senator Tyler Harper. If you want to see a vote on the entire SB 6, please call senator Harper’s office and leave a short, polite note with his assistant. “We are watching. We are conservatives and think that giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens is madness. Not even Mexico gives drivers licenses to illegals. Please tell Senator Harper to send SB 6 to the senate floor.” When you are done calling, please send an email with the same message.
Contact state Senator Tyler Harper’s Atlanta office: Phone: (404) 463-5263 email: Tyler.Harper@senate.ga.gov The office has voice mail.
The new and updated SB 6 (Republican-ruled Georgia has been issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens since 2012)
Senate Bill 6 Committee Substitute
Section 1
Generally – No illegal alien lawyers
Prohibits illegal aliens – including illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status – from being licensed to practice law in Georgia. Requires use of SAVE database for partial verification. Requires non-citizen applicants for admission to the practice of law to sign affidavit swearing to legal status.
Section 2
Generally – No illegal alien public school teachers
Prohibits illegal aliens – including illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status – from being licensed as “certified professional personnel” in public schools. Requires use of SAVE database for partial verification. Requires non-citizen applicants to become certified professional personnel to sign affidavit swearing to legal status.
Section 3
Generally – No instate tuition for illegal aliens in USG schools
Strengthens and clarifies existing law regarding eligibility for in-state tuition in the University System of Georgia. Prohibits illegal aliens – including illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status – from receiving in-state tuition. Requires use of SAVE database for partial verification. Requires non-citizen applicants for in-state tuition to sign affidavit swearing to legal status.
Section 4
Generally – No HOPE scholarships for illegal aliens (strengthen existing regulations)
Defines “lawful alien status” for purposes of consideration of HOPE scholarships and grants. Excludes illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status.
Section 5
Generally
Requires non-citizen applicants for HOPE scholarship benefits to sign affidavit swearing to legal status. Requires use of SAVE database for partial verification.
Section 6
Generally – No instate tuition for illegal aliens in Georgia’s Technical Colleges
Strengthens and clarifies existing law regarding eligibility for in-state tuition in the Technical College System of Georgia. Prohibits illegal aliens – including illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status – from receiving in-state tuition. Requires non-citizen applicants for in-state tuition to sign affidavit swearing to legal status.
*Section 7 *(Remembering Dustin Inman and Kate Steinle – and to help prevent more death-by-released-criminal-alien in Georgia) GBI to make public information on criminal aliens released by Obama administration
Requires GBI to post as public information the names of aliens who have been arrested, booked, detained or incarcerated during immigration and criminal law enforcement investigations and who have been released from federal custody into Georgia communities as such names are presented within the federal Enforcement Integrated Database of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Section 8
Generally – Update legal definition of Georgia resident for a drivers license
Updates definition of “resident” for purposes of obtaining a Georgia drivers license. Excludes illegal alien with deferred action on deportation status. Defines “personal information” to include fingerprint or other biological characteristics including DNA and retinal scan.
Section 9
Generally
Provides that the Department of Driver Services can provide copies of any record or names, addresses, driver identification numbers, and medical and disability information for purposes of participation in verification programs of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including for participation in the Records and Information from DMVs for E-Verify RIDE initiative (see section 20). Provides that DDS can also provide noncitizen DNA, fingerprints, and photographs for such U.S. Department of Homeland Security programs.
Section 10
Generally – Change drivers license document now issued to illegal aliens to a Drivers Privilege Card that clearly shows illegal status – vertically oriented
Establishes “Driver Privilege Card” (DPC) document to replace current practice of issuing drivers license to illegal aliens who have deferred action on deportation status. Prohibits use or acceptance of DPC for identification purposes except for law enforcement uses. Establishes penalty for attempted use or acceptance of DPC as valid ID. Requires fingerprint (personal record – see section 8) be collected from applicant for DPC and for fingerprint or personal record to be displayed on DPC document. Describes required specifications for design of DPC to include vertical orientation, colors and language contained on DPC document. Requires illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation who are in in possession of current drivers license to obtain a DPC upon expiration of drivers license.
Section 11
Generally
Removes “approved deferred action status” from existing law defining eligibility for a drivers license and official state ID cards. Sharpens definition of illegal alien (“lawful presence”/”legal status” on exclusion in existing law regarding acceptance of drivers licenses and official ID cards issued by other states to illegal aliens. Provides for special and redesigned official ID card to be available to illegal aliens who have deferred action on deportation status. Provides for fingerprints or personal information to be collected from applicant for special official ID card and for fingerprint to be displayed on official ID document. Provides specifications for appearance of new official Id card and requires DDs to create document to specifications, including vertical orientation and colors.
Section 12
Generally
Refines language in existing law for eligibility for drivers license or official ID card to replace “lawful presence” with “legal status” and to establish eligibility of illegal aliens with deferred action of deportation status for drivers privilege card and new official ID card.
Section 13
Generally
Changes current prohibition on collection and display of fingerprints for drivers license type document to exclude applicants who qualify for DPC and new official ID card due to deferred action on deportation status.
Section 14
Generally
Housekeeping language to slightly alter and correct existing language resulting from new language on drivers license law.
Section 15
Generally
Increases penalties for driving without being properly licensed, reduces number of convictions of driving without being licensed for offender to be guilty of a felony.
Section 16
Generally – Provides law enforcement discretion to order tow of vehicle operated by unlicensed driver
With exclusions, including for expired drivers licenses and drivers 15 years old or younger, establishes authority of peace officer to have discretion to order that a vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver be impounded for 60 days. Requires vehicle owner to pay storage fees. Allows hearing process for the owner of impounded vehicle. Requires release of vehicle to owner, or owners spouse, child or parent who is lawfully licensed to drive.
Section 17
Generally
Modifies current law regarding “abandoned motor vehicle” in accordance with Section 16
Section 18
Generally
Modifies current law regarding “duty of person removing or storing motor vehicle” in accordance with Section16.
Section 19
Generally
Authorizes peace officer to cause removal of vehicle driven by unlicensed driver to place of safety. See section 16.
Section 20
Generally – Partnership with feds to verify drivers license info offered at hiring process, new employees
Requires the Commissioner of DDS to [participate in the federal E-Verify ‘RIDE’ program.
Section 21
Generally – No property tax deductions for illegal aliens
Improves existing law to clarify that illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation status are not eligible for property tax exemptions.
Section 22
Generally
Provides for requirement that non-citizen applicants for property tax exemptions sign an affidavit swearing they do not have deferred action on deportation status. Provides for penalty for false swearing.
Section 23
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
dak
Below is the text of a letter sent to us from Georgia state Senator Josh McKoon to both of our U.S. Senators:
Dear Senators Isakson and Perdue:
I am writing you today to respectfully request that you withhold your approval of the nomination of Judge Dax Lopez so that it may not advance to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
President Obama nominated a qualified jurist last year who was not given the opportunity to have his nomination advanced to the full Senate for consideration.
Judge Lopez has served for the last 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), an organization which has routinely advanced arguments to avoid or flout existing federal and state law and has opposed strongly common sense legislation to aid in the enforcement of immigration law at the state and local level.
Service on the Board of GALEO arguably runs afoul of Canon 5 of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct which states in pertinent part that:
Judges Shall Regulate Their Extra-Judicial Activities to Minimize the Risk of Conflict with Their Judicial Duties…B. Civic and Charitable Activities. Judges may not participate in civic and charitable activities that reflect adversely upon their impartiality or interfere with the performance of their judicial duties. Judges may serve as officers, directors, trustees, or non-legal advisors of educational, religious, charitable, fraternal, or civic organizations not conducted for the economic or political advantage of their members, subject to the following limitations: (1) Judges shall not serve if it is likely that the organization will be engaged in proceedings that would ordinarily come before them or will be regularly engaged in adversary proceedings in any court. Commentary: The changing nature of some organizations and of their relationship to the law makes it necessary for judges regularly to re-examine the activities of each organization with which they are affiliated to determine if it is proper for them to continue their relationship with it. For example, in many jurisdictions charitable hospitals are now more frequently in court than in the past. Similarly, the boards of some legal aid organizations now make policy decisions that may have political significance or imply commitment to causes that may come before the courts for adjudication.
GALEO has filed amicus briefs in cases involving immigration law and policy. See Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights et al v. Governor Nathan Deal, et al (U.S. District Court for Northern District of Georgia, Case No. 1:11-cv-1804-TWT) and State of Texas et al v. United States of America et al (United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Appeal No. 15-40238). The willingness to risk violation of Canon 5 by continuing to serve on the Board of Directors of GALEO should raise serious questions about the propriety of moving forward with confirmation proceedings.
As I have been drafting this letter to you, I have become aware of Judge Lopez’s resignation from the GALEO Board of Directors. That does not change the fact that he served for 11 years, including after GALEO inserted itself into at least two federal actions involving immigration issues that he would undoubtedly be confronted with in his role as a Federal District Court Judge. For these reasons, I respectfully request that you withhold support for this nomination.
Below we have pasted the text of the remarks Georgia state Senator Josh McKoon made at a Georgia Capitol press conference just ended in Atlanta. We urge you to take the time to understand Senator McKoon’s goals for the next legislative session.
You can contact him HERE (and through his legislative assistant) with thanks and comments. Donna.Nealey(AT)senate.ga.gov
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery 8 July 2015 – Josh McKoon
“Good morning. Thank you for joining me today.
Today is the first in a series of media availabilities I will have to discuss legislative proposals for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.
For our purposes today, I am announcing two such proposals.
One, in the interest of government transparency, I intend to introduce a resolution in the Senate very early next session that would allow members to vote on changing Senate rules to end the practice of unrecorded votes on the Senate floor.
I have heard it said that the unrecorded, hand vote known as “rise stand and be counted” is necessary “to speed up debate.” Those of us dedicated to government accountability reject the premise that duly elected state Senators – for any reason – should ever cast a vote – on any issue – that cannot be readily visible and noted by our constituents. After serving in the legislature for five years I can say with a degree of certainty that we do not suffer from a lack of time to deliberate but rather the time we have is not appropriately prioritized. Ending the practice of unrecorded votes I suspect will result in a more deliberative and transparent public policy formation process that benefits all involved.
The Senate is empowered to amend this and all of our Rules at anytime during our two year biennium and I intend to give the Senate that opportunity.
Secondly, regarding the crime of illegal immigration, I want to announce the expansion of the language and goals contained in Senate Bill 6.
I am aware that many may not regard this as having the importance of a billion dollar-a-year transportation tax increase. But, I have seen estimates that we spend about $2.5 billion dollars each year from the Georgia budget on the crime of illegal immigration.
According to DHS, we have more illegal aliens than Arizona. While that crime is lowering our wages, hurting our own poor, costing us jobs and doing perhaps permanent damage to the concept of a government operated on the rule of law, all of that must be secondary to the fact that the Obama administration and local governments across the nation are releasing convicted, violent, deportable criminal aliens onto American streets who are murdering innocent people.
The most recent completely preventable murder of yet another American, Kathryn Steinle, who was shot down by an illegal alien who had multiple previous criminal convictions and had been deported five times can, and I fear will, eventually also happen here in Georgia. I am guessing that the general public is unaware that least three law enforcement agencies in the metro-Atlanta area reportedly have the same policies in place that allowed Kate Steinle’s illegal alien killer to be released by San Francisco law enforcement.
While there are very powerful forces aligned against any legislative actions intended to deter illegal immigration and illegal employment in Georgia, I am in hopes that our lifesaving bill will at least be granted a hearing in the senate and that the number of co-sponsors will increase. I will be introducing substitute language designed to increase public safety and save American lives.
We know that enforcement works at encouraging illegal aliens to leave Georgia. Attrition of – not an increase in – the illegal population is the goal of the enforcement provisions in SB 6.
The additions to my bill that already contains language to end the current practice of rewarding any illegal aliens with a Georgia drivers license will include:
1) A component that clarifies and expands the state definition of “sanctuary ” governments and policies.
Currently, I am informed that the sheriff’s offices in Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties have in place policies that refuse cooperation with federal law enforcement regarding ICE requests to hold illegal alien prisoners for federal enforcement action.
To be clear: We are exploring all possible methods of sanctioning any law enforcement agency that refuses to cooperate with ICE on detainers or sharing of information.
2) It is our intent to put into state law a requirement that state law enforcement officials are given access to currently available data from federal law enforcement sources regarding criminal aliens released onto American streets by the Obama administration and if possible, make that information available in the form of a public, online registry.
The thought here is that if we can track and register sex offenders, we can and should do the same for criminal aliens to protect American lives. We will be grateful for any and all assistance from the Georgia delegation in Washington D.C. on this.
3) To insure that Americans and legally admitted immigrants are not replaced in line by illegals, language is being added to SB 6 to clarify the intention of the legislature that no illegal alien will qualify for instate tuition in USG schools or technical colleges and are more clearly prohibited from accessing HOPE scholarship funding.
4) Also, in the interest of deterrence and making Georgia much less attractive to illegal immigration, SB 6 will be modified so as to prohibit aliens who do not have legal status from being licensed or employed as professionals in public schools or practicing law as attorneys as is happening in other states.
To the sure-to-come mindless howls of “mean-spirited” and “anti-immigrant”: Let me be clear that our intention is to honor our immigration system and the value of American citizenship by protecting the rule of law and the taxpayers we were elected to serve and defend. In my view, under the Gold Dome, we should strive to be pro-enforcement on immigration.
A time traveler from the Georgia of even ten years ago would be astounded by the unconstitutional actions of the president and current reward system we have in place for illegal aliens the Obama administration has endeavored to grant executive amnesty.
We must not be party to matching president Obama with a Georgia amnesty. The results of the creeping incrementalism of the last several years is undeniable.
In conclusion, to secure the safety of the people of our state so that no one in Georgia is the victim of a wanton crime that should never have happened like Kathryn Steinle, to insure that Georgians who are suffering from unemployment rates above the national average have a fair opportunity to get employed and to end the reward system for illegal aliens in Georgia I can and will continue to press for immediate consideration and action on the proposals I have outlined today.”
Georgia Poll Shows Huge Opposition To Obama’s Amnesty
Neil Munro
16 February 2015
Registered voters in Georgia overwhelmingly oppose amnesty when asked about immigration’s impact on American jobs, according to a new poll.
Ninety percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats said that Americans “should get the future jobs in Georgia” prior to the hiring of foreign workers.
Only 5.3 percent of Republicans say jobs should go to the cheapest workers, either Americans or foreign. This compares to 12.8 percent of Democrats and 16.2 percent of independents who say the same.
Those answers contradict the conventional media portrayal of GOP voters as anti-worker, and highlight the growing GOP focus on the lower-income workers who strongly oppose wage-cutting immigration. That populist trend helped businessman David Purdue win his Senate seat in 2014, despite his conflict with the state’s Chamber of Commerce.
The poll of 743 registered voters in Georgia was conducted Feb. 10 and 11 by Rosetta Stone Communications for the Atlanta-based Dustin Inman Society, which favors reduced immigration.
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“We asked clear, straightforward questions on the topic of jobs, immigration and enforcement,” said D.A. King, founder of the society, in a statement.
The answers showed “the majority of Georgians comprehend the connection of employment and wages to the importation of large numbers of foreign workers and incrementally deferring to legally dubious [November] executive amnesty decrees from Barack Obama,” King said.
The poll also showed lopsided support for a pending state bill that prevent illegals in Georgia from getting drivers’ licenses.
Several recent polls on immigration and jobs have shown strong public support for the pro-American demand that companies hire Americans before hiring new immigrants.
But progressive and business pollsters showcase rival pro-immigration responses in polls that highlight America’s tradition of immigration. Most of those polls, however, also show strong opposition to illegal immigration among white, black and Latino voters.
The new Georgia poll was released as Democrats and the media pressure GOP legislators to accept Obama’s unpopular decision to change immigration enforcement.
Under his November amnesty, Obama’s deputies would end enforcement of immigration law for nearly all 12 million illegal immigrants, and also give work permits, tax bonuses, Social Security numbers, plus a quick path to citizenship, to four million of the illegals.
The GOP-drafted 2015 budget for the Department of Homeland Security bars any spending to implement Obama’s amnesty.
So far, all 46 Democratic senators have blocked any debate on the budget bill
Democrats and the media are trying to blame the standoff on the GOP’s opposition to the unpopular and arguably illegal amnesty, which may be blocked this week by a pending lawsuit in Texas. For example, a New York Times Feb. 16 article said the GOP bill would “revoke legal protections for millions of unauthorized immigrants, including children, and put them at risk of deportation.”
Partly because of pro-business priorities, GOP leaders in the Senate have been reluctant to push back against the Democratic effort to import more foreign workers.
Since 2009, Democratic immigration policies have flooded the U.S. labor market with roughly 11 million extra foreign workers, despite high U.S unemployment. Since 2000, the federal government has added two foreign workers for every new job in the economy.
That’s had a huge impact on the labor market and on Americans’ middle-class wages.
In November 2014, one in every five U.S. jobs was held by a foreign-born worker, up from one-in-six jobs in January 2010, according to federal data highlighted by the Center for Immigration Studies.
Each year, four million young Americans begin competing for jobs against at least 10 million unemployed Americans, against roughly 2 million annual new immigrants and against a resident pool of roughly two million guest-workers.
However, GOP leaders and 2016 presidential candidates are reluctant to engage in the battle over immigration and work.
That’s partly because major business donors strongly support increased immigration of of government-subsidized foreign customers and workers.
The Georgia poll showed that Americans overwhelmingly favor tougher enforcement of immigration laws.
Only 20 percent of respondents favored legalization of illegals, while 62 percent favored their repatriation.
The poll showed 65 percent of respondents believe the government is not doing enough to enforce immigration laws. Only 10 percent of respondents said the federal government is doing too much, while 12 percent said the government is enforcing the laws “just right.”
The Georgia poll was partly intended to show public support for a bill that would end the practice of giving drivers’ licenses to illegals.
This practice has the support of business groups, because they allow the lower-wage illegals to compete for jobs sought by Americans, and progressive groups, because they help increase the illegal immigration of government-dependent clients into American communities.
The pending bill is being pushed by Republican state Sen. Joshua McKoon.
The poll showed that 63.6 percent of voters, including 80 percent of Republicans and 68.5 percent of independents — but only 37.4 percent of Democrats – support legislation that would stop the state’s practice of giving drivers’ licenses to illegals.
The drivers’ license reform is opposed by only 15 percent of Republicans and independents apiece, as well as 33.7 percent of Democrats.
A similar push was successful in Oregon last November, when 66 percent of voters in the Democratic-leaning state passed an amendment reversing a state law granting licenses to illegals. “All you have to look at is what happened in Oregon… I think that’s the sentiment of the American people,” Sen. Johnny Isakson said Nov. 18, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
But “many GOP state senators are doing almost comical verbal contortions trying to excuse their refusal to co-sponsor the [license] legislation,” King told The Daily Caller.
The poll can help bypass the local media’s ideological alliance with local business interests, King said. The established media “in Republican-ruled Georgia is treating the entire mess with a cone of silence… No one here will be surprised if this poll goes unreported,” he said.
“The Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Metro Area Chamber of Commerce, Big Ag and the ACLU coalition are pretty sure they can prevent a floor vote by silently smothering the bill in the committee process,” he told TheDC.
The state GOP is also trying to ignore the issue, he said. “Georgia has more illegal aliens than Arizona,and ranks number seven in the nation in that population… [and] we are watching the Republican leadership defer to Obama on amnesty,” he said.
‘We have taken to calling them the Obama wing of the Georgia Republican Party,” he added.
However, new media are helping the public recognize the costs of large-scale illegal immigration, he said.
Georgians are “learning that illegal aliens are getting drivers licenses and other public benefits,” King said.
