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GA governor signs enforcement measure Atlanta (AP) -- Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed a bill that would penalize local governments for failing to check the immigration status of people that they hire and those receiving public benefits. The measure is designed to put teeth in a 2006 law cracking down on illegal immigration in Georgia. That law required governments and companies that do government business to use federal databases to check the immigration status of those that they hire. But there was no penalty for failing to do so. GOP lawmakers said some local governments were ignoring the law. Under the new measure, governments that fail to run the checks could lose funds in the state budget. The Associated Press

GA Gov. approves voter ID law Atlanta (AP) -- Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a divisive law Tuesday making the state only the second after Arizona to require prospective voters to prove their U.S. citizenship, a... Nine arrested in GA for identification fraud Nine people, including one woman from Tifton and another two from Moultrie, were arrested by investigators as they exited the Georgia Department of Driver Services in Cordele. The Tifton Gazette... Suspected illegal stabs GA student Marietta, GA -- Cobb Police say a man stabbed a 13-year-old girl on Monday in the parking lot of Lincoln Hills Apartment Homes off Windcliff Drive. Officer Joe Hernandez said...

More Georgia Immigration News

GA traffic stop nets smuggler, nine illegals

Woodstock, GA -- Cherokee County authorities say they discovered nine illegal immigrants under blankets in a pickup truck stopped on Interstate-575 in Woodstock. Sheriff's Maj. Ron Hunton says the driver, also an illegal immigrant, had a large amount of cash...
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GA detention center sparks debate

Lumpkin, GA (AP) -- In an isolated corner of southwest Georgia, about 20,000 illegal immigrants a year pass through one of the largest federal immigration centers in the U.S., awaiting almost certain deportation. Like Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers...
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GA governor mulls crackdown on jailed illegals

Georgia's crackdown on illegal immigration will continue if Gov. Sonny Perdue signs into law a measure approved by the General Assembly requiring more jail checks that could lead to deportation. 'That is a deterrent, in and of itself, to people...
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GA county limits business licenses to legal residents

Cherokee County has become the latest metro Atlanta county to limit business licenses to legal residents. The county began on April 13 requiring applicants for business licenses and renewals to sign an affidavit, saying they are in the U.S. legally....
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Illegals await deportation at GA facility

Lumpkin, GA (AP) -- In an isolated corner of southwest Georgia, about 20,000 illegal immigrants a year pass through one of the nation's largest federal immigration centers, awaiting almost certain deportation. Like Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers around the...
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Four Georgians accused of murder of Ethiopian

Tedla Lemma came to this country seeking a better life and political asylum from the former communist government in Ethiopia. But for Lemma at least, America was not a land of safety or opportunity. It was a country where he...
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Group's report to fault GA detention center

Atlanta (AP) -- Immigrant rights groups plan to release a report blasting the conditions at a federal immigration detention center in southwest Georgia. Georgia Detention Watch, a coalition of immigrant rights groups, plans to release the report at a news...
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Religious groups hold march in GA

Immigration activists joined the religious faithful at the Marietta Square on Thursday to mark the end of an 8-mile march through Cobb County. The trek from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Smyrna to the Square was one leg...
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GA amnesty march sparks local outrage

Atlanta -- A six day walk for immigration rights in metro Atlanta is sparking anger and outrage. Many CBS Atlanta viewers are demanding to know why people here illegally should get special treatment. The march started in Gainesville and will...
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GA Senate passes bill cracking down on delinquent local gov'ts.

Local governments that don't check to make sure they are not hiring illegal immigrants could lose state money for building roads, under legislation that passed the Senate on Wednesday. House Bill 2 would deny road money to a city or...
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GA legislators mull English-only license exams

Atlanta -- Getting a drivers license in Georgia can be an unpleasant experience, but it's even more difficult for many immigrants. That's why the Georgia Department of Driver Services now offers tests in a dozen languages. But the State Legislature...
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GA on verge of requiring English for driver's license tests

Atlanta -- The Georgia Legislature appears on the verge of approving a measure that would require driver's license applicants to take the written exam in English, which could make Georgia the only state to have such a rule. The measure...
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GA enforcement package draws ire of critics

Atlanta -- A new bill that increases penalties for local jurisdictions that don't verify the immigration status of people who apply for public benefits, or all people who are jailed, is rife with ambiguity. That's what critics of House Bill...
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GA lawmakers cracking down on spending on illegal aliens

As the federal government begins pumping billions of stimulus dollars into Georgia, lawmakers here are cracking down on lax enforcement of a state law that prohibits taxpayer funds from going to illegal workers. A bill likely to pass the General...
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GA legislation presses for broader enforcement

Three years after legislators passed the Georgia Security and Immigration Act, considered to be among the toughest in the nation, there's still a strong push for tough enforcement against illegal immigration in the state. This year several bills were navigating...
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Atlanta detention center design draws concerns

A new detention facility planned for the heart of its Midtown district has some Gainesville officials wringing their hands. The city, in talks with Hall County and Corrections Corp. of America, wants to ensure that the new prison, which will...
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GA forum address county enforcement policies

Feelings were mixed when about 30 people turned out in Lawrenceville Tuesday night to talk about Gwinnett County's implementation of a federal program aimed at illegal immigrants. Opponents pointed to a lack of direction in the enforcement in the program...
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Enforcement policies causing public stir in Atlanta

Atlanta -- The issue of how to deal with illegal, undocumented workers is causing controversy around metro Atlanta, especially in Gwinnett County where sheriff's deputies are now trained in detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. Some people are wondering if this...
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