By Martha Dalton
WABE News
A bill aimed at fixing Georgia's immigration law has stirred up its own debate.
When Georgia's immigration law, known [previously] as HB 87, took effect in 2011, some medical professionals had to provide proof of citizenship before renewing their state-issued licenses. That caused a backlog at some state offices and frustration among professionals. Lawmakers drafted House Bill 125 to fix that, according to Azadeh Shahshahani, an attorney for the ACLU's Georgia chapter.
"Then all of a sudden, the version that passed the House committee and the version that passed the House floor included these additional provisions we have concerns with," Shahshahani says.
Shahshahani says one provision would not allow the use of foreign passports as a form of identification, unless accompanied by certain federal documentation.
"Right now, a foreign passport is the only document that an undocumented immigrant can use to prove their identity for a variety of official transactions," she says.
Shahshahani says the provision could prevent some illegal immigrants from enrolling their children in school or getting their utilities turned on. But Dustin Inman Society president DA King says discouraging illegal activity is the point.
"We're trying to change the passport acceptance so that we are more efficiently protecting jobs, benefits, and services," King says, "Accepting a passport without the proper entrance stamps from a non-citizen is counterproductive to achieving our goals."
The second provision would add state-issued drivers' licenses to the list of public benefits undocumented immigrants can't receive under Georgia law.
Shahshahani says the provision could affect people who are legally granted Temporary Protected Status to live and work in the U.S. However, King says, it's unclear whether that provision will make it in the final version of the bill. The legislation has passed the House and now heads to the Senate.
