Private school tuition: A new state benefit for illegal aliens in GA? #SchoolChoice

“It is testament to the tenacity, funding and power of the school choice advocates that including illegals in a proposed new state benefit program is even being discussed.”

A battle is coming between the Georgia Republicans who are pushing “school choice” at any cost and pro-enforcement conservatives who refuse to reward and encourage more illegal immigration into Georgia. Expanding benefits for illegal aliens does exactly that. The lobbying money is on the “include the illegals” side. All too often, the truth isn’t.

Despite what Georgians may be told, the 1982 Plyer V Doe Supreme Court decision only requires states to provide public school tuition to K-12 students regardless of immigration status.

A word of experienced advice to readers who may favor “putting parents in charge of education…” but take the pro-enforcement view of the debate: You can save yourself a lot of attacks as being “anti-school choice” if you make clear your opposition to rewarding illegal immigration early in any discussion on the topic.

We don’t allow illegal aliens to access the Hope Scholarship, the Zell Miller Scholarship, or instate tuition in our taxpayer-funded public colleges. Why do some Republicans want to welcome illegal alien families with discretionary, taxpayer-funded K-12 private school benefits? It is testament to the tenacity, funding and power of the school choice advocates that including illegals in a proposed new state benefit program is even being discussed.

This writer attended a seminar on school choice last fall in Marietta and got the “whole enchilada” presentation and was surprised to see several well-known Georgia Republicans -including former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler – featured as presenters. I still don’t know the answer to the above question. But I can report that the ongoing illegal immigration catastrophe was completely avoided in the program and there was no Q&A session. I did hear it said that “we are all Americans.”

Related: School choice legislation is likely from Georgia lawmakers this session

We are not aware of any position the new leadership under the Gold Dome has taken on delivering state funds to illegal alien families for use as K-12 tuition payments to private schools. A great deal of time and trouble could be saved if Georgians could get a signal on this from the new Speaker or the new Lt. Governor – or Gov. Kemp.

Influential national radio show host Erick Erickson predicted a win for commonsense: “I’m fairly certain the Republicans aren’t going to fund illegal aliens going to private school…” was part of the response from Erickson last year to an on-air alert from this writer about the absence of language to exclude illegals in then-pending state legislation.

Soon after that public forecast from Erickson, there were various versions of poorly written and unworkable language purporting to exclude illegal aliens from the proposed “school choice” legislation offered in three separate bills in 2021-2022 General Assembly. So, it’s clear that most members of both chambers are aware of the concern.

Readers who have not heard one of the school choice sales programs for what is also known as “educational freedom” and “fund students, not systems” may want to consider attending an Americans for Prosperity event on the matter this evening in Alpharetta. It looks like presenters will include lobbyist and former GOP state Rep Buzz Brockway and Forsyth County school board member Mike Valdes.

If you go: I’ll wash your car if you let us know if there is any mention of illegal immigration or that according to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, there are only six states with a higher illegal population than Georgia.

One online advertisement for the AFP event includes a reminder of a January proclamation of “School Choice Week” (Jan 22-28) from Gov. Kemp. The proclamation does not say if the governor would sign a bill that provides state funds for future “undocumented workers” to pay K-12 private school tuition.

Neither does it say if a law that excluded illegal aliens from any state-funded school choice benefit would be enforced. Many state laws aimed at illegal immigration aren’t.

A version of this essay ran posted on the subscription website Insider Advantage, January 24, 2023.

D.A. King is proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com and president of the Dustin Inman Society.

—>UPDATE: The liberal AJC prints a lengthy correction after demand letter from the Dustin Inman Society. More news on this coming soon.

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Daily Signal News report (‘DEFAMATORY’: Conservative Demands Swing-State Newspaper Retract ‘Hate Group’ Smear’)
on the recent AJC attack here by the great Tyler O’Neil.

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I added educational hyperlinks to the below letter – dak.

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October 18, 2024

VIA U.S. REGULAR MAIL & E-MAIL

Leroy Chapman, Jr., Editor in Chief THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION 223 Perimeter Center Pkwy NE Atlanta, Georgia 30346

Re: Demand for Retraction and Apology

Dear Mr. Chapman, Jr.:

I write on behalf of my client, the Dustin Inman Society (DIS), to demand an immediate retraction and apology for the defamatory statements published in your October 7, 2024, article titled “Democrats in this Georgia district are backing a write-in candidate” by Tia Mitchell.

Through use of internet links, the AJC article wrongfully characterizes the Dustin Inman Society as a “Marietta-based anti-immigration hate group.” This characterization is false, defamatory, and published with actual malice. The Dustin Inman Society pushes for secure borders, is not “anti-immigration” and its proprietors do not hate anyone. Rather, DIS advocates for enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and actively opposes unlawful immigration. This distinction is crucial and well-known to staff at your publication.

I paste the offending paragraph from the AJC story:

“A search of activity under her birth name, Karen Sacandy, which Stamper legally changed in 2019, showed that she previously was aligned with a Marietta-based anti-immigration hate group. The group’s website often linked to Sacandy’s activities, like a letter seeking information about the state’s Immigration Enforcement Review Board and a copy of a letter to the editor supporting legislation to prevent immigrants claiming asylum from obtaining driver’s licenses.”

HEMMER WESSELS MCMURTRY PLLC
250 Grandview Drive, Suite 500, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017 ● Phone 859.344.1188 ● Fax 859.578.3869

October 18, 2024 Page 2

We note the AJC informs readers that the Dustin Inman Society “often” linked to Karen Sacandy/Kate Stamper activities — but produces only two occasions.

Your story, for which DIS founder and president D.A. King was not contacted, informs readers that Sacandy/Stamper “was aligned” with the Dustin Inman Society. We note that polls show that a majority of Americans oppose the federal offense of illegal immigration. Since the letter posted on the DIS site was a published missive to the editor at the Cherokee Tribune, we must ask: does this make that newspaper a “Cherokee County-based anti-immigration hate group”?

Your characterization demonstrates a reckless and vindictive disregard for the truth, rising to the level of actual malice as defined in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Actual malice in defamation law refers to publication of a statement with knowledge that it is false or with reckless disregard of whether it is false or not. Your repeated mischaracterization of the Dustin Inman Society, despite having been corrected on numerous occasions, clearly meets this standard.

The Dustin Inman Society’s position on immigration is clear and public:

1. It supports sustainable levels of legal immigration through established channels.

2. It opposes unlawful immigration due to various societal concerns, including: – Strain on public resources and services
– Potential and real public safety issues
– Economic impacts on low-wage American workers and America’s poor

– Challenges to the rule of law

3. The Dustin Inman Society defends legal immigrants when media attempt to blur the difference between them and illegal aliens.

Moreover, the Dustin Inman Society’s board includes lawful immigrants who have navigated the proper channels for authorized immigration. This fact alone should dispel any notion that the organization is “anti-immigration.” As he has informed you multiple times over much of the last two decades, D.A. King’s sister is a real, legal immigrant.

While we acknowledge that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Dustin Inman Society as an “anti-immigrant hate group that denigrates all immigrants,” your article presents the “anti-immigration hate group” characterization as the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s independent assessment and statement of fact.

This smear is not only demonstrably false and ignores Mr. King’s many communications to you advising you of the truth, but also demonstrates an exceedingly unprofessional failure to fact-check and verify information before publication.

We demand that the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

October 18, 2024 Page 3

1. Immediately publicly retract the defaming statement in the October 7, 2024, article.

2. Publish a prominent apology, equal in visibility and placement to the original defamatory article.

3. Cease and desist from further defamatory characterizations of the Dustin Inman Society.

Failure to comply with these demands may result in further legal action. We expect your prompt attention to this matter and await your timely response.

Sincerely,

Todd V. McMurtry

cc: James Abely, Esq.