ATLANTA – State Representative Philip Singleton (R-Newnan) today introduced the Georgia Anti-Sanctuary Act, legislation which would require the state to adhere to federal immigration laws in Georgia with respect to criminal illegal aliens. Through this legislation, Rep. Singleton seeks to support President Donald Trump’s agenda for not allowing “sanctuary cities” in the U.S. so that the state of Georgia can work with federal counterparts to “keep America safe.”
“President Trump highlighted for us all in last night’s State of the Union address that we still face an ‘urgent national crisis.’ Radical efforts to protect criminal illegal immigrants, which burden our state and federal government, and put our citizens in danger, will not be unchecked in our great state,” said Rep. Singleton. “The Georgia Anti-Sanctuary Act shows that we stand by our President, value his leadership, believe in the rule of law and will do our part at the state level to fulfill the president’s promise to the American people. This bill has received immediate and overwhelming support from my colleagues, with the bill already having nearly 20 co-sponsors.”
The Georgia Anti-Sanctuary Act would require the state to support federal immigration enforcement efforts and ensure that these efforts are not impeded by any state or local laws or practices. This bill would also allow law enforcement agencies to aid in the enforcement of federal immigration law. State entities and agencies would be required to comply with federal immigration detainers and would be prohibited from withholding information or records from federal immigration enforcement efforts regarding an immigrant’s status. Additionally, the bill would encourage a seamless transfer process regarding undocumented immigrants who are held in a state’s correctional facility to be transferred into federal custody. Under this bill, it would also be illegal for state or local law enforcement officers who have custody of an undocumented immigrant to deny or knowingly fail to comply with an immigrant detainer’s requests. This bill is modeled from the 2017 Texas SB-4 and 2019 Florida SB-168 bills. They have both been signed into law in their respective states and have both been upheld in federal court rulings.
Rep. Singleton introduced this legislation today following President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. During his speech, President Trump urged the U.S. Congress to confront illegal immigration, end sanctuary cities, and he urged the U.S. Senate to pass Senator Thom Tillis’ “Justice for victims of Sanctuary Cities Act,” legislation that would allow victims of violent criminal illegal aliens to sue the cities that released those criminals. Representative Singleton’s bill would accomplish this in Georgia by removing the sovereign immunity protections. The president also highlighted efforts made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in 2019, which resulted more than 120,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants for criminal activity. President Trump noted that illegal U.S. border crossings are down 75 percent since May 2019, and the president announced that he ordered an additional 3,750 troops to continue to deter illegal border crossings.
“The United States of America should be a sanctuary for law abiding Americans, not criminal aliens,” stated President Donald J. Trump in his address.
To view President Trump’s comments on immigration during the State of the Union address, please click here.
Representative Philip Singleton represents the citizens of District 71, which includes portions of Fayette and Coweta counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and currently serves on the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Defense & Veterans Affairs and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
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