The veto effort on Sen. Larry Walker's SB 354 continues: D.A. King guest column in the Houston Home Journal today

Pro-enforcement immigration advocates push for veto of Sen Walker bill – SB 354

D.A. King

Guest columnist

Taking a pro-enforcement position on illegal immigration in Georgia, we think the Republicans made a grave mistake in passing Sen. Larry Walker’s bill, SB 354. We have organized an effort to convince Gov. Kemp to veto that legislation. Here, we offer an education readers will not see on “the news.”

The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a nationally covered bill aimed at illegal immigration in the session just ended. HB 1105, “The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act” is essentially an effort at forcing compliance with laws against “sanctuary city” policies put in place in 2006 when Sonny Perdue was in his first term as governor. It’s a law that says we should enforce the law.

According to federal authorities Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than live in Arizona. The leftist Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says more illegals call the Peach State home than do “green card” holders. How many illegals? Somewhere around 400,000 – 500,000 is a common, expert estimate.

GA state Senator Larry Walker (R- Perry)

Since 2006, Georgia’s Republican elected officials have put more than forty state laws in place aimed at discouraging more “undocumented workers” from migrating into our state. The proven effective method for that commonsense task is to deny jobs, benefits, and services to foreigners here illegally.

Which brings us to another 2006 law, OCGA 50-36-1, “Verification of Lawful Presence within the United States.” The short explanation is that to prevent illegal aliens from accessing public benefits, applicants are checked for immigration status. The system requires an applicant for occupational licenses to essentially swear on an affidavit that they are not here illegally. False swearing is a felony. Then that information is run through a federal verification system known as “SAVE.” It’s all carefully designed to be part of the occupational and professional licensing process.

If the licensing process goes away, the immigration verification goes too. The chances of stopping illegals from accessing our jobs, benefits, and services decrease significantly.

Believe it or not, Senate Bill 354 from Sen. Larry Walker (R-Perry) removes the requirement for having an occupational license for low-skilled personnel in the barbering/cosmetology industry. To repeat the explanation above: This will end the immigration check built into the existing licensing procedure for covered workers. It is an open invitation to “the undocumented.”

Pushed by powerful special interest groups, the stated goal of Sen. Walker’s bill is to make it easier to go to work in Georgia. Indeed.

SB 354 is a product of ‘Senate Study Committee on Occupational Licensing,’ created by a resolution (SR 85) sponsored by Sen. Walker in 2023. According to Senator Walker, who also served as committee chairman, “…this state has some of the country’s more burdensome occupational licensing laws” and has “onerous occupational licensing requirements.”

Apparently eliminating the immigration verification makes the process much less “burdensome and onerous.” We don’t agree. And we recall that Gov Kemp voted in favor of creating the above-described verification process as state Senator in 2006.

We hope to convince Gov. Kemp to veto Sen. Walker’s bill. Readers who agree with our mission can help fight illegal immigration in Georgia by calling Gov. Kemp’s office (404-656-1776) to leave a message with a nice young staffer to ask him to veto SB 354.

We think it’s commonsense.

Created in 2005, the 501 c 4 non-profit Dustin Inman Society advocates for enforcement of immigration laws. Mr. King has assisted Georgia legislators with immigration related matters for two decades under the Gold Dome. He is also proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com .

The Houston Home Journal is the Legal Organ for Perry, Warner Robins and Centerville, Ga, over 152 years.

—>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.