Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signs an immigration enforcement bill that takes effect following the murder of Laken Riley

Brynn Anderson/AP

Governor Brian Kemp leaves the House of Representatives after delivering the State of the State address on Thursday, January 11, 2024 in Atlanta.

CNN
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Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed the immigration legislation Wednesday following the death of nursing student Laken Riley.

Kemp said at the signing that the legislation, which was sent to him in late March, had become one of our top priorities “in the wake of the senseless death of Laken Riley,” who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in February.

After Jose Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with Riley’s murder, Republican lawmakers used the incident to push for stricter immigration policies.

“If you enter our country illegally and commit further crimes in our communities, we will not allow your crimes to go unanswered,” Kemp said at the signing.

The measure, HB 1105, signed into law Wednesday, would require local and federal law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of people over the age of 18 who have been arrested, detained or who an “officer has reasonable suspicion” to have committed a crime.

Local law enforcement agencies that do not cooperate with immigration authorities may lose federal funding, and local officials who do not cooperate with immigration authorities may be charged with crimes.

Supporters of the law call it a public safety bill, and national Republicans have often linked crime and undocumented immigrants — though research has shown no link.

But Latino organizations told CNN they fear this could lead to racial profiling and cases of US citizens being mistaken for illegal immigrants based solely on their skin color or accent.

Pedro Marin, the longest-serving Latino member of the Georgia House of Representatives, said during the debate that lawmakers are using “fear as a strategy.”

“But our community cannot and should not be collectively punished for the terrible actions of one individual,” he said in February.

Last month, Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a similar bill that requires state law enforcement agencies to notify federal officials of the immigration status of a person in their custody and assist in efforts to detain undocumented immigrants from the country keep and remove.

Similarly, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed three new bills in March that target undocumented immigrants and increase the maximum penalty for people driving illegally without a license. to increase penalties for a crime committed by a person returning to the country after deportation and to provide that Florida will not recognize identification cards issued to undocumented immigrants.