Two years ago, Georgia passed one of the most stringent immigration laws in the country, House Bill 87. Both supporters and opponents of the bill now agree that it has a major flaw which needs to be fixed quickly. As written, the law subjects U.S. citizens renewing a professional license to months of delay, costing many of them their jobs and livelihood.

Legislators from both sides of the aisle wisely pledged to work together to do away with this unacceptable consequence. Straightforward, fix-it bills were introduced in the state House and Senate. Unfortunately, a few legislators have made last-minute changes to one of the bills, sending it in a completely different direction. Their amendments threaten to embroil Georgia into another protracted and rancorous debate over provisions similar to the one that prompted a fix in the first place.

The amended bill would make it a crime for state and local government officials to accept any foreign passport as proof of identification unless the passport is accompanied by proof of legal immigration status. This, even though a passport is the most secure form of ID issued by an individual's country of citizenship and one that's accepted by the federal TSA for airplane travel, where security is paramount. It defies common sense to make it a crime for government workers to accept foreign passports as proof that a person is who they say they are.

Although the consequences of this provision may not be readily apparent, it could bar immigrants from obtaining marriage certificates in counties such as Fulton where a foreign passport is readily accepted as ID for this transaction, and prevent children of immigrants from attending public schools to the extent that the schools require proof of ID for enrollment.

Another of the amendments could make it impossible for some lawfully present immigrants including young people granted deferred action from deportation and individuals granted reprieve from natural disasters and war to obtain driver's licenses.

Besides the harm to individuals, the amendments would impose an unfair burden on local governments across Georgia.

These changes inject chaos into an otherwise sensible proposal. Let's get back to making common sense, constructive change.

Legislators and the governor can do that, by supporting the original fix-it bills that lawmakers crafted to address a problem they agreed needed attention.

Despite our vehement opposition SB 160 was amended to include anti-immigrant provisions.  We encourage you to call Gov. Deal and ask him to veto the bill.

You can reach Gov. Deal's office at:   

Phone: 404-656-1776

or, fill out the online form:

The ACLU of Georgia supports government transparency and accountability.  We believe that open government is the lynchpin of democracy, ensuring that voters have the information they need to elect leaders and evaluate the ongoing performance of those leaders. The Open Records Act is critical to restoring and maintaining Georgia citizens' confidence in local government.

In pursuit of our mission to promote open and transparent government, we filed an amicus brief in support of Sabrina Smith in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County.  Ms. Smith filed a lawsuit against Gwinnett County and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce for their refusal to disclose records of activities and funds that were used as part of a public-private partnership ("Partnership Gwinnett").  The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has continued to hold the position that they are a non-profit organization and are not subject to the Open Records Act.  

We believe that any efforts by the local or national government to willfully conceal information from the public is a hindrance on democracy.  In this case, the defendants are seemingly trying to bypass the Open Records Act by creating a public-private partnership.  This tactic may allow local governments to obscure the use of public funds and to conceal government activity from public scrutiny.

Disability Rights 

The ACLU of Georgia has worked with our Disability Rights counsel at our Center for Equality to address constitutional violations impacting individuals living with disabilities.  The ultimate goal of the ACLU's Disability Rights work is a society in which discrimination against people with disabilities no longer exists, and in which people understand that disability is a normal part of life.  This means a country in which people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of the community; where people with disabilities have jobs, homes, education, healthcare, and families. And a country in which people with disabilities are no longer segregated into, and over-represented in, civil and criminal institutions, such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails and prisons.

As part of this ongoing effort, the ACLU of Georgia filed an amicus brief to challenge the constitutionality of a banishment order that prevented an individual with bipolar disorder from entering over half the state of Georgia, including the county where his mother resides and psychiatrist works.  We argued that, considering the individual's struggle with a significant mental disability, the banishment order constituted cruel and unusual punishment by separating the individual from his support system and because the banishment was grossly disproportionate to the crime.  Additionally, the ACLU argued that because Georgia has not adopted an objective standard to assess the reasonableness of banishment orders, such banishment orders are arbitrary government actions prohibited by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.  We urged the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to adopt an objective standard to assess the reasonableness of banishment orders, which could prevent future constitutional violations.  This case is still pending before the court.

Unfortunately, in 2013, segregation still exist in Georgia.  It's insane, but friends at Wilcox County High School in Georgia are being divided by race. Parents and students are sponsoring separate proms for white and black students and the school is washing their hands of the whole thing.

A diverse group of friends-who want to attend one of the best nights of their young lives together-are fighting back. They're trying to organize an integrated prom where everyone's welcome, but they could use some support from the school.

Sign the Petition 

Saturday, April 13th, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Serenity Church, 1619 N. Lee Street, Valdosta, GA 31602

Free and open to the public.
Complimentary lunch will be provided for registered participants.

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