Immigration Statute Impacts Roswell

The May passage of Georgia’s immigration enforcement law, House Bill 87, has already had an impact on Roswell, according to city officials and local leaders.

The passage of the bill - parts of which are on hold until their constitutionality is determined - led some illegal immigrants to leave Roswell and others to leave the state, according to experts, although the exact numbers are impossible to quantify.

“We got a number of calls and people were terribly frightened,” said James Dunn, an immigration attorney who has practiced in Roswell since the 1980s. “Some have left to go other places. It’s a very individual thing.”

The effects of HB 87 are noticeable in Roswell. On a recent weekday morning at 7:20 a.m. in the Frazier Street neighborhood, only two day laborers were out hoping to be picked up for work.

Day laboring has traditionally been a way for the illegal alien population to find work. But the numbers now available at any time has noticeably dropped, according to two lawn services that operate in Roswell.

However, HB 87 has not caused the Roswell Police Department to change their methods, according to Lisa Holland, public information officer.

“Nothing has changed for us,” Holland said. “They can stand there. But there is a city ordinance against employers soliciting them.”

With more potential employers worried about the potential consequences of hiring a day laborer, less illegal immigrants find work.

Teodoro Maus, president of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, knows the bill has people worried about both finding work and legal repercussions.

“Many [illegal immigrants] are leaving...saying they are going back to their own country or another state,” he said.

But it's not only illegal immigrants who are nervous about the consequences of the new laws. Under HB 87 it is a felony to knowingly transport illegal aliens, as well.

“We had a number of churches call about the law, because they would go pick up people,” Dunn said. “And I said if this country has gotten to the point that you can’t take someone to church, that you are harboring an alien …” 

HB 87 - the statute that was passed by the legislature and signed into law on May 13 by Governor Nathan Deal - allows police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects. The law also penalizes those who transport illegal aliens. Over time, businesses will be required to use E-verify, a federal government immigration status-check system, before hiring an employee.

In July, a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash that made it illegal to transport illegal aliens until the law’s constitutionality, which is being challenged, is decided. Thrash also set aside the portion of the bill that allows police to check the immigration status of alleged criminals who cannot produce a driver’s license or other identification for police.

So far, there is little sign that HB 87 has hurt businesses along Atlanta Street.

But HB 87’s long-term effect on how Roswell businesses hire could be substantial. Beginning January 1, 2012, businesses of more than 500 employees must ensure an employee they plan to hire is legal. The same will be true for businesses of 100 or more employees on July 1, 2012. Starting July 1, 2013, the same requirement will apply to businesses with between 11 and 99 employees.

State senator John Albers, whose North Fulton district covers all of Roswell, is an advocate of HB 87: 

“We are a nation of laws,” Albers said. “We can’t choose to enforce some and ignore some.”

Albers does not accept the argument that the Roswell and Georgia need the labor of illegal aliens. 

“We have more than enough workers here with 9.9 percent unemployment. We already have a temporary guest worker program that allows for an unlimited amount of guest workers. Simply use them.”

“The U.S. is the most immigrant-friendly country on earth; and has been for two centuries,” Albers said.

But the path to citizenship is arduous and confusing.

“Our immigration system is fowled up,” Dunn said. “It’s a third-world system. And the federal government isn’t doing squat.”