Democrats in the state Senate fired a political volley at President Donald Trump Tuesday, with a package of bills aimed at the way his administration has enforced the laws, particularly for immigration.
Labeling his administration “rogue” and a “regime,” they called on state Republicans to back legislation that would limit the president’s authority to deploy military reserve units and rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, one of whom shot and killed a mother in Minneapolis last week.
“We have seen ICE physically assault people who are just protesting or lawfully observing, and we just saw in Minneapolis ICE murder Renee Good,” Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs said. “We’ve all seen the video. Obviously, the officer did what he was not trained to do, which was step in front of the car, escalate.”
The Trump administration has defended the action, saying the officer feared for his life after previously being injured by a vehicle during an enforcement action. Minnesota sued the Trump administration to block ICE deployments.
McLaurin, who is running for lieutenant governor, introduced Senate Bill 397, which would allow citizens to sue ICE officers for alleged violations of civil rights.
Another bill, Senate Bill 391, would require authorities to obtain a judicial warrant before taking immigration enforcement actions at certain locations, including churches, hospitals, libraries and schools. A third, Senate Bill 390, would require the Georgia governor’s permission for entry of National Guard forces from other states. Finally, Senate Bill 389 would require ICE officers to wear a badge and remove their masks.
Federal officials say the masks are necessary to protect officers against personal threats, such as “doxxing” when personal information is maliciously distributed online and “swatting” when police are called to homes on false pretenses.
That last bill was by Sen. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, who noted that lawmakers do not wear masks despite having been doxxed and swatted. And brimmed hats are the only apparel on Georgia State Patrol officers’ heads.
“If our brothers in their gray hats can stand up and show their face, then so can ICE,” said Jackson, the Senate’s minority whip. “It is cowardice. And it’s time to unmask ICE.”
Democrats tried to link their anti-ICE campaign to the increasingly charged political issue of affordability, saying immigration enforcement was disrupting local economies while costing taxpayers billions.
But their salvo was apparently charged with blanks. The likelihood of these bills becoming law is vanishingly small, judging from the reaction of Sen. Jason Anavitarte, a Republican from Dallas and the Senate’s majority leader.
“They want the state to regulate the federal government when that’s not necessarily the role of the state,” he said.
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