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.

From the Carroll County Star News.

“Is it more irresponsible that moderate Republican Martha Zoller offers up wildly absurd excuses for Kemp’s defiant dereliction of his duty as governor – or that Republican voters remain silent? And how is Republican Kemp any better on illegal immigration than Democrat Joe Biden?

Readers of all descriptions need to know that there is an ignorant attitude and potentially dangerous talking point on illegal immigration circulating under the GOP-ruled Gold Dome and in the Establishment political class. Some elected officials and trusted “conservative” commentators are telling all who will listen that the “don’t worry, it’s not an invasion” invasion at our southern border is “a federal problem.”

Looking back to last session, it is educational to know that multiple bills were passed in the state Senate that would reward and encourage illegal aliens in Georgia.

It is equally important to remember that Georgia is home to more illegals than green card holders and more than Arizona.

When pressed by voters who find the courage to broach the topic with their own elected public servants, many state legislators can be heard responding “there is nothing we can do about illegal immigration on the state or local level!”

This bizarre nonsense should be firmly challenged by voters. To speed that agenda along, while the General Assembly is in session in the coming months there will be specific examples in this space of how treacherous and preposterous this “it’s not our job” attitude really is. As usual, names will be named.

For now, consider the reality that at least one Georgia politician has clearly acknowledged he has the power to address the matter. We should remember all the way back to 2018 when Gov. Kemp was candidate Kemp and recall his campaign ads that led with his solemn promise on what he would do about the crime problem generated by illegal aliens. Kemp promised to go after what he referred to then as “criminal illegals” and to create a public database of that group in Georgia. He pledged to end sanctuary city policies and to work to pass state legislation that would speed up the system that puts illegal aliens into the federal deportation system.

Here are some of Brian Kemp’s exact words from five years ago in describing the promised “Kemp Track and Deport Plan.”

“As governor conservative businessman Brian Kemp will create a comprehensive database to track criminal aliens in Georgia. He will also update Georgia law to streamline deportations from our jails and prisons.”

Brian Kemp’s criminal alien database summary:

Aggregates data from state, local and federal law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies.
Tracks the number of arrests, convictions, deportations and categorizes the crimes committed by criminal aliens.
Destroy silos and provides new law enforcement with sophisticated tools to track organized crime, gang, cartel connections…
Creates valuable data for lawmakers to develop common sense legislation that curbs illegal immigration in Georgia.
Includes opportunities for partnership with President Trump and local universities.”
Readers paying attention may have noticed that not only has Kemp ignored every part of the above promises, but that to this writer’s attentive knowledge, he has not mentioned illegal immigration in Georgia since 2018.

On the topic of bizarre nonsense, please also consider the lengths to which at least one Kemp acolyte has gone to concoct an argument for defending the governor, now in his second term.

Republican radio show host explains Kemp’s refusal to honor his 2018 pledge on ‘criminal illegals’

Republican stalwart and influential Gainesville radio show host Martha Zoller (WDUN- 9-11 AM weekdays and online) says illegal immigration has increased so much that Brian Kemp had to abandon his campaign promises on “criminal illegals” and ending sanctuary cities in Georgia. She has promoted this idea more than once on the air and says discussing Kemp’s betrayal is “wasting time.”

Zoller, a Kemp appointee to the state school board, has repeatedly expressed her irritation on-air with this writer for failing to forget Gov Brian Kemp’s many detailed promises on addressing “criminal illegals.” A former Kemp staffer, she says “he had to change his tactics” (because there are so many illegals). She has promoted this idea more than once on the air and says discussing Kemp’s betrayal is “wasting time.”

For those who need a recap, Talker’s Magazine 2023 Woman of The Year Martha Zoller is advising her trusting audience that Biden’s open borders have apparently made ending illegal sanctuary policies in Georgia, creating a public database of “criminal illegals” and sending legislation (“Brian Kemp’s Track and Deport Plan“) to the General Assembly an outdated, non-priority concept.

Sanctuary city policies are already illegal under at least two state laws. Georgia’s governor is not enforcing them.

So, closing questions: Is it more irresponsible that moderate Republican Martha Zoller offers up wildly absurd excuses for Kemp’s defiant dereliction of his duty as governor – or that Republican voters remain silent? And how is Republican Kemp any better on illegal immigration than Democrat Joe Biden?

The above column was published in the November 13, 2023 issue of the Carroll County Star News.