New Georgia Law! ‘Jailers’ Required To Confirm Immigration Status Of Inmates, Governor Signs

ATLANTA, GA — A bill that gathered support after authorities said that a Venezuelan man had killed a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus required jails in Georgia to verify the legal status of their inmates and apply to assist in enforcing federal immigration law.

On Wednesday at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center located in Forsyth, Gov. Brian Kemp officially signed the bill into legislation. Most provisions come into force right away.

A different bill, enacted by the Republican governor, mandates cash bail for thirty more offenses and prohibits individuals and charitable bail funds from posting cash bonds for more than three individuals annually unless they fulfill the criteria to register as a bail bond company. The first day of July is when the law goes into force.

After Laken Riley was killed needlessly by an illegal immigrant who had already been detained after crossing the border, Kemp stated on Wednesday that House law 1105, an immigration law, “became one of our top priorities.”

In relation to Laken Riley’s death, 22, Jose Ibarra was taken into custody on murder and assault charges. In 2022, Ibarra, 26, allegedly entered the country illegally, according to immigration officials. His asylum application may or may not have been filed. Republicans exploited Riley’s death to attack President Joe Biden for his shortcomings in immigration policy, igniting a political firestorm.

We won’t stand by and watch as you commit more crimes in our neighborhoods if you enter our country illegally, Kemp declared.

Concerned citizens fear that the bill would reduce the willingness of immigrants to cooperate with law enforcement and report crimes by transforming local law enforcement into immigration police. Additionally, research demonstrating that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans is cited by opponents.

According to the statute, jail administrators must follow certain guidelines when contacting U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to find out if any inmates are known to be in the nation unlawfully.

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A misdemeanor for “knowingly and willfully” failing to check immigration status was originally the only punishment for jailers who violated Georgia law. Also, if local governments don’t participate, the measure would stop providing state cash to them.

Local jails must also apply to ICE for what is known as a 287(g) agreement to allow its staff to assist in enforcing immigration law. Since the government of President Joe Biden has downplayed the initiative, it is unknown how many would be accepted. Immigration-related arrests outside of jail are not permitted by the program for local law enforcement.

Despite eroding reforms that Republican Gov. Nathan Deal supported in 2018 to permit judges to release the majority of individuals charged with misdemeanors without bond, Republicans claimed Senate Bill 63, which requires cash bail, is necessary to keep criminals in prison.

Republican lieutenant governor Burt Jones stated, “Too often we have seen some of our cities or counties, it’s been a revolving door with criminals.”

There would still be judges’ ability to establish extremely low bond amounts, according to supporters. Judges’ consideration of a party’s ability to pay is one of the separate provisions of the 2018 reform that will remain in effect.

Yet, the action might worsen the overcrowding in Georgia’s county jails and leave impoverished defendants behind bars when they are charged with crimes for which they are not likely to go to jail.

This is a component of a national Republican movement to bolster the usage of cash bail, especially in the face of counties headed by Democrats that completely abolish or severely limit it.

In Wisconsin, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing judges to take into account a person’s prior convictions for violent crimes before setting bond, illustrative of this division last year when a court upheld Illinois’ intention to abolish cash bail.