Organizers of the march on the Georgia State Capitol initially thought 2,000 to 5,000 participants would show up on Saturday, July 2. They were off quite a bit. Capitol police and organizers now estimate that between 8,000 and 14,000 men, women and children marched to protest Georgia’s new anti-immigration law, HB 87, that went into effect on Friday, June 24.
Streets were gridlocked with marchers of various nationalities and immigration statuses chanting “Immigration Reform Now!” Although the crowd was largely Hispanic, several different groups stood in solidarity including members of the civil rights movement. Activist Rev. Timothy McDonald of Atlanta’s First Iconium Baptist Church has been supportive of immigration reform. He spoke to the crowd.
“You are my brothers and my sisters,” McDonald told the crowd. “Some years ago, they told people like me we couldn’t vote. We did what you are doing today. We are going to send a message to the powers that be that when the people get united, there is no government that can stop them. Don’t let them turn you around.”
Azadeh Shahshahani of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia considers the rally inspiring and urged lawmakers to consider the law’s ongoing damage to the state. Farmers from south Georgia met with Governor Nathan Deal early last month and gave a status report that included produce rotting in fields because there are far fewer migrant workers to conduct harvests.
“I think it’s going to have an impact,” Shahshahani stated, “Unfortunately, the damage has already been done as far as people of color having second thoughts about moving to Georgia.”
On Friday, organizers of Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights coordinated a “day without immigrants,” when some parts of the law took effect. Businesses were asked to close and community members not to work or shop to protest the law.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. temporarily blocked key parts of the law until a legal challenge is resolved. One provision that was blocked would authorize police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification. It also would authorize them to detain undocumented immigrants. Another portion penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor undocumented immigrants while committing another crime.
Parts of similar measures in Arizona, Utah and Indiana also have been blocked by the courts.
Provisions that took effect Friday include one that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another provision creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to undocumented immigration. –a. robinson
