COBB COUNTY USED UNDOCUMENTED SUBCONTRACTORS IN COURTHOUSE PROJECT

The irony is now on Cobb County, GA, one of the most anti-immigrant counties in the state, and one of the first to implement 287(g). It appears that one of the sub-contractors used on a project to build the new $63 Million Cobb County Courthouse has been found to employ undocumented workers.
The state law (SB 529), which requires companies and contractors for the Georgia government to utilize E-Verify does not apply to sub-sub contractors or indirect contractors.
According to the Marietta Daily Journal, Cobb County Chairman Sam Olens stated that they followed the law and that they also asked federal immigration officials to investigate the matter, whether anyone should be criminally prosecuted.
Lots of noise is generated by Cobb County, probably to divert from the fact that the joke is on them.

MOST IMMIGRATION DETAINEES IN GWINNETT DETAINED FOR DRIVING OFFENSES

A short time after Gwinnett county started to implement its 287(g) program, the Gwinnett Daily Post reports the following statistics regarding its detainees on immigration charges:
• 178 driver’s license charges
• 62 DUIs
• 58 felony drug charges
• 15 aggravated assaults
• 13 sex crimes
• 45 batteries
• 23 robberies and burglaries
While there are other "miscellaneous" charges for the immigrant detainees, it is clear from the list above that the vast majority of these detainees are detained for minor driving offenses and not for real crimes.
287(g) was intended to target serious criminal offenses, not to deport immigrants for minor traffic offenses, such as driving without a license or speeding. I doubt that the Gwinnett police department doesn't have more serious criminals to go after.

GEORGIA COUNTIES NOW REQUIRE CITIZENSHIP AFFIDAVIT TO GET BUSINESS LICENSE

According to the new law which took effect on January 1, an owner or manager of a business must now file a notarized affidavit stating that he or she is a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident in order to get a business license. Apparently, many citizens are calling the various finance departments inquiring about this. The immigration status is verified with the federal database. This is yet another example or an idiotic legislative burdening the vast majority of U.S. citizen business owners in Georgia using the excuse of immigration compliance. What a waste of resources.

NEW GA LAW TO MANDATE IMMIGRATION STATUS CHECK FOR BENEFITS

House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, clarifies and adds some enforcement provisions to Georgia's 2006 immigration reform act (called the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act). According to this law, all governments and official agencies in the state and their contractors have to use the "E-Verify" system to verify new hires eligibility to work. It also requires all local governments and agencies that administer public benefits to collect a sworn affidavit and use a federal database - the "SAVE" program - administered by DHS - to verify the eligibility of all applicants for those benefits. Last year House Bill 2 was passed because many of its applications were considered optional. The law now mandates to obey the first one. How this measure will curb illegal immigration is beyond my understanding, but at least our legislators here are keeping themselves legislating.

GA COUPLE CHARGED WITH HOLDING UNDOCUMENTED WORKER, FORCED LABOR AND DOCUMENT SERVITUDE

A juicier story than usually posted here -- the AJC reports that an Ellenwood, GA, couple named Juna Gwendolyn Babb, 54, and Michael J. Babb, 53, were indicted last week by the Federal authorities for conspiracy, forced labor and document servitude. The couple was accused of confiscating their domestic worker's passport and visa as well as hiding an undocumented worker for financial gain, the U.S. Department of Justice said. They were accused of convincing a woman to come to their home from the Kingdom of Swaziland by promising her a lucrative, short-term opportunity to provide catering services at the wedding of a family member. When she arrived, the couple took her passport and return airline ticket and told her that she needed to repay them for the cost of travel to the United States.
The woman was made to clean the homes of friends and associates of the Babbs and also help with Michael Babb's construction business, working long hours and either was not paid or received very little money, the DOJ said. If the accusations are true, I hope they get some decent time in jail.

GRAYSON, GA TO WORK ON SAVE PROGRAM WITH FEDS

Gwinnett Daily Post reports that the Grayson City Council voted Monday night to adopt a memorandum of agreement with the federal government to cooperate in a program which ensures that only qualified aliens or naturalized citizens can receive retirement, health and disability benefits, among others. Citizenship and immigration status information is verified under this program, called SAVE — Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements — mandated by the DHS and USCIS. Grayson will distribute affidavits to businesses so they can provide information on their employees applying for such benefits. Other applicant benefits include contracts, occupation tax certificates, and licenses for alcoholic beverages, taxi cabs, insurance companies and adult entertainment.
What remains to be seen is how the enforcement of this will happen and whether business will participate in answering these affidavits. It is easy to enforce on the licensing issue (we're not going to give you a license if you don't do it), but how is this going to apply for employers? Why would private sector employers take this hassle upon themselves to subject each of their employees to a SAVE check?

GWINNETT STARTS 287(G) IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office is taking measures to start implementing its 287(g) program which will allow specially trained deputies to enforce federal immigration law.
The sheriff's office says deputies will be returning this weekend from training in Charleston, S.C., run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 18 trained deputies plan to start the program "in some capacity" on Monday.
Gwinnett's acceptance into the ICE 287(g) program was announced in July, and highly criticized by immigrant rights and civil liberties groups because the large majority of people seized and turned over to the deportation authorities are non-criminals with family or other ties in the U.S.