State of Georgia Archives: on Immigration


Brian Kemp: Georgia interests over immigrants

Defund sanctuary cities and campuses. Stop taxpayer funded subsidies for illegal immigrants. Protect our Georgia values. Put the needs of hardworking Georgians ahead of special interests
Source: 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial website KempForGovernor.com Sep 1, 2017

Hunter Hill: No sanctuary cities in Georgia

First and foremost, my priority as your Governor is keeping Georgians safe from harm. I stand with President Trump. I am opposed to sanctuary cities that harbor illegal immigrants from being deported. We will hold those who break our laws accountable. As Governor, if a city in Georgia decides to harbor illegal immigrants, they won't receive a nickel of state funding.
Source: 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial website VoteHunterHill.com Sep 1, 2017

Karen Handel: Ok with 6-country immigration ban, but no religious test

Handel aligned herself with the president when asked about the biggest items on his agenda, but she also indicated she wasn't afraid of disagreeing with him. She backed the Trump's proposal to temporarily block visitors from six primarily Muslim Middle East nations while homeland security officials revamp their vetting process for foreign visitors, but she said she would not support any sort of "religious litmus test."
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2017 Georgia House debate Jun 6, 2017

Jon Ossoff: Unconstitutional to slander or ban entire religious groups

Jon's mother is an immigrant who became a small business owner, an American citizen, and a champion for women's rights. America should welcome those strivers who, like our own forebears, seek the opportunity to work hard, play by the rules, and build better lives in America.

Jon believes it is a violation of core American principles to slander entire religious groups and that it's unconstitutional to ban anyone from entering our country on religious grounds.

Source: 2017 Georgia House campaign website, ElectJon.com Apr 21, 2017

Brian Kemp: Crack down on illegal immigration

Secretary of State Brian Kemp opened his campaign for governor Saturday by borrowing themes from Donald Trump, pledging a "Georgia first" strategy that would crack down on illegal immigration as he took aim at establishment forces and the media.

The Athens Republican took broadsides against "fake news" and the well-connected political status quo. And he talked in tough terms about Georgia's efforts to block those in the country illegally from voting or receiving state benefits. "This is Georgia," he said. "We will be putting Georgia first."

Kemp said he did not plan to step down from his role as Georgia's top elections officer through the campaign. That would give him a statewide platform through November 2018, but also would deny him about three months of fundraising during next year's legislative session.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2018 Georgia governor race Apr 1, 2017

Stacey Abrams: Colleges need not act as immigration enforcement officers

HB 37: Would prohibit any private postsecondary institution eligible for tuition equalization grants from implementing a sanctuary policy. Sanctuary policies restrict employees' cooperation with federal and state officials or law enforcement officers reporting immigration status information. Any private postsecondary institution that refuses to cooperate may lose state funding or state-administered federal funding, which includes scholarship funds received by students of the institution.

MY VOTE: NO. Institutions of higher learning should not be compelled to act as immigration enforcement officers for any branch of government. More concerning, if the institution violates the policy, all students would be punished. For example, if a school violates the policy, any HOPE Grant recipient could lose his or her funding, regardless of immigration status.

Source: 2018 Georgia governor campaign website StaceyAbrams.com Mar 30, 2017

Drew Ferguson: We CANNOT allow this flow of unvetted refugees to continue

Just ANOTHER Refugee? President Obama continues to go out of his way to get more and more Syrian refugees into the United States. Tens of thousands of refugees that we know NOTHING about. We could easily be letting in dangerous individuals who pose an immediate threat to our national security.

Well, enough is enough. We CANNOT allow this flow of unvetted refugees to continue. Their entry into our country not only threatens our national security, but it also stands to pose a direct threat to the safety of each and every American. Our families and communities stand to be at risk.

We must secure our borders and increase our national security NOW, not after something bad happens. The LAST thing we need in our country is additional unvetted refugees from terror hot spots around the world.

Source: 2016 Georgia House campaign website FergusonForGeorgia.com Nov 8, 2016

Jim Barksdale: Pass comprehensive reform & bring 11M out of shadows

We are a nation of immigrants, and Jim strongly believes the time has come for our elected leaders in Washington to listen to the people and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Bringing the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and into the full light of our American freedom will strengthen our economy and reduce our deficit. It would also end the wage exploitation undocumented workers face that is wrong and undermines wages for all Americans.

Jim believes we need a comprehensive solution that protects our borders, provides a pathway to legal status and, in some cases, citizenship for undocumented workers that work hard, pay taxes and want to raise their families in our democracy. After nearly a decade of trying, comprehensive immigration reform passed the U.S. Senate in 2013. Unfortunately, the Speaker of the House did not have the courage to allow a vote on the measure.

Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com Aug 8, 2016

Rick Allen: Our borders remain vulnerable; block any amnesty

Immigration is another example of Washington's failure to solve the major problems facing our nation. For the last few decades, politicians have debated the problem of illegal immigrants, yet our borders remain vulnerable. We must immediately secure the border, enforce the laws we currently have on the books, and block any solution that includes amnesty for illegals.
Source: 2014 Georgia House campaign website, RickWAllen.com Nov 4, 2014

Greg Orman: Tough, practical, fair policy: no amnesty but no deportation

Orman said, "I believe our policy on immigration needs to be tough, practical and fair," describing the outlines of a plan passed with bipartisan support in the Senate last summer. To deport 11.5 million people would not be economically advisable, he said, citing industries in Kansas that would be "decimated" by such a policy. Instead, Orman said he would have immigrants in the U.S. illegally register with the government, pay a fine or perform community service, hold down a job, pay taxes and obey laws in order to stay.

Roberts repeated over and over again the importance of border security. He also said, "you're not going to get any immigration policy as long as Harry Reid is the majority leader of the Senate. He uses immigration as a political tool." Mr. Obama, he warned, planned to "declare amnesty for illegal aliens" by executive order and said the president would be backed by Orman.

"I do not support amnesty," Orman responded.

Source: CBS News on 2014 Georgia Senate debate Oct 15, 2014

Amanda Swafford: No caps on number of visas allowed

Our immigration laws do not reflect the way individuals and our labor markets actually work. Therefore we must: