Immigration laws strike Georgia counties, could Baldwin be next?

    Three months ago, one county in the north Metro Atlanta area passed new laws aimed at restricting illegal immigrants.  Cherokee County’s board of commissioners unanimously voted in favor of laws that would require immigrants who rent homes and apartments in the county to show proof of legal residence.  If legal documentation cannot be provided, the immigrants will be evicted, or stiff fines could be imposed upon those who own the homes. 
    Clearly this is a case of profiling on the grounds of ethnicity, intended precisely at the Hispanic community.  Also, an equally serious issue arises, intimidation by the county commissioners against those who rent properties to immigrants.  The county is using its authority and police power to strike fear into the minds of renters. This will most definitely lead to evictions of persons who may very well be in this country legally.  In a perfect society, those who rent to illegal aliens will not have to evict anyone because those renting without documentation will move out on their own.  But this is certainly not a perfect society.  I foresee renters evicting any Hispanic who rents from them, legal or not, or the renters will bear the burden of county fines for renting to illegal immigrants. 
    What does this mean for Baldwin County?  Several other counties throughout the state are considering similar laws to prevent immigration from becoming widespread in their backyards.  Let’s face it, many of the politicians who were elected into office last November ran on a platform of anti-immigration sentiments.  Was this not bound to happen eventually?  Given that Georgia is now cemented as a red state through and through, it becomes apparent that localities would attempt to pass measures, such as the ones in Cherokee County.  Other counties in other states have passed similar laws.  But I do not believe that the Cherokee County board of Commissioners, nor any other local government considering these types of measures realizes just how important these immigrants are to the economies of both the localities or the state of Georgia. 
    Besides that, it does not matter how many local laws that are passed, these people are not going anywhere.  Simply put, the United States government does not have the time, manpower, or financial resources to actively pursue every single illegal immigrant in this country.  And the local governments are simply wasting tax dollars on immigration reform.  Why can’t we just accept that these new immigrants are here, and stop trying to bully them around.
   
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Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 19 2007. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry