ATLANTA – Three members of the Georgia House of Representatives and a Georgia State Senator will embark on a fact-finding mission along the United States – Mexican border next week to see first hand the problem of illegal immigration.
State Reps. Tom Graves (R-Ranger), Martin Scott (R-Rossville), Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville) and State Senator Chip Rogers (R- Woodstock), will join a representative from the Dustin Inman Society Dec. 4-6 to inspect the border area near Chochise County, Arizona near Bisbee, Arizona.
“I want to see first hand what is really happening on our borders – both by day and night,” Graves said. “Illegal immigration has been and will continue to be an issue in the Georgia Legislature, and its vital that we have a full understanding of the issue, from illegal invasions to final deportation.”
Rep. Martin Scott said he wanted to go on the tour “to show support for the men and women who risk their lives every day trying to secure our borders. We want to see if the federal government is doing a better job patrolling our borders in recent months, particularly since so many illegal immigrants have wound up in Georgia.”
“Having a better understanding about the illegal immigration problem will help us determine what additional actions we may need to take in Georgia,” stated Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville).
A report in October released by the House Committee on Homeland Security found that the U. S. Border Patrol apprehended 10 to 30 percent of illegal crossings or about 1.2 million people in 2005.
The U. S. Census Bureau recently reported that Georgia had the highest rate of increase in it illegal resident population – a jump of 114 percent from 2000 to 2005. Arizona was second with an increase of 45 percent during the same time period.
“This is a fact finding mission to familiarize ourselves with what happens on our Southwest border,” said D. A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a Georgia organization that monitors illegal immigration. “We will be meeting with local residents, watching how border patrol works and checking conditions along the U. S. – Mexican border. I’m sure we will likely see illegal crossings each day.”