{{short description|Anti-illegal immigration law in the U.S. state of Georgia}} {{Infobox legislation |short_title = Georgia House Bill 87 |legislature = Georgia General Assembly |image = |imagesize = |imagealt = |caption = |long_title = Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 |citation = |signed_by = Nathan Deal |date_signed = May 13, 2011 |date_passed = April 14, 2011 |enacted_by2 = |date_enacted2 = |date_passed2 = |date_assented = |royal_assent = |date_commenced = July 1, 2011 |bill = House Bill 87 |bill_citation = |bill_date = |introduced_by = |1st_reading = January 27, 2011 |2nd_reading = January 31, 2011 |3rd_reading = March 3, 2011 |committee_report = |bill2 = |bill_citation2 = |bill_date2 = |introduced_by2 = |1st_reading2 = |2nd_reading2 = |3rd_reading2 = |committee_report2 = |white_paper = |amendments = |repeals = |related_legislation = |summary = |keywords = |status = Current }} '''Georgia House Bill 87''' (official title: '''Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011'''; abbreviated '''HB 87''') is an anti-illegal immigration act passed by the Georgia General Assembly on April 14, 2011, and signed into law by Georgia governor Nathan Deal on May 13, 2011.<ref name=legis>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display/32190 |title=HB 87 2011–2012 Regular Session |website=www.legis.ga.gov |access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref> It took effect on July 1 of that year.<ref name=nyt>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/us/14georgia.html |title=New Georgia Immigration Law Is One of Toughest in Nation |last=Brown |first=Robbie |date=2011-05-13 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-09-02 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The law was authored by Peachtree City Republican state representative Matt Ramsey, and was partly based on Arizona's SB 1070 bill that had passed the previous year.<ref name=ajc>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/local/georgia-lawmakers-pass-illegal-immigration-crackdown/dvEcDeIuAOvpGvoHzCVodN/ |title=Georgia lawmakers pass illegal immigration crackdown|date=2011-04-15 |last=Redmon |first=Jeremy |website=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref><ref name=ajc2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/georgia-legislature-seeking-crack-down-illegal-immigration/cxnsgy4HwEpnIv1sVNfvnK/ |title=Georgia Legislature seeking to crack down on illegal immigration |last=Redmon |first=Jeremy |date=2016-03-03 |website=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=en |access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/governor-signs-arizona-style-immigration-bill-into-law/FLM7qWg8osXP6LluyDb8xO/ |title=Governor signs Arizona-style immigration bill into law |last=Redmon |first=Jeremy |date=2011-05-13 |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=2017-09-10}}</ref>

==Sponsors== In the Georgia House of Representatives, HB 87 was co-sponsored by Matt Ramsey, Rich Golick, Katie M. Dempsey, Rick Austin, Stephen Allison, and Ed Lindsey. In the Georgia State Senate, it was sponsored by Bill Hamrick.<ref name=legis/>

==Provisions== HB 87 requires businesses in Georgia with more than 10 employees to use E-Verify to verify that prospective employees are eligible to work in the United States legally. The bill allows police in the state to attempt to determine the immigration status of some suspects.<ref name=ajc/> It also makes the intentional transportation of undocumented immigrants while a crime is being committed punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a prison sentence of up to a year. In addition, it punishes undocumented workers convicted of using fake identification to gain employment with up to 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.<ref name=ajc/><ref name=cnn/>

==Similarity to Arizona's SB 1070== Commentators noted that HB 87 was similar to other anti-illegal immigration laws that had recently been passed in other U.S. states, such as Arizona SB 1070.<ref name=ajc/> Some of HB 87's critics dubbed it a "copycat" of SB 1070, a claim that PolitiFact rated "half true" because, although the two laws are similar, the authors of HB 87 tried to address concerns about the constitutionality of such legislation. For instance, HB 87 merely ''allows'' police to check the immigration status of suspects, whereas SB 1070 ''required'' them to do so.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2011/mar/07/georgia-association-latino-elected-officials/immigration-bill-foes-label-legislation-arizona-co/ |title=Immigration bill foes label legislation an Arizona "copycat" |last=Mariano |first=Willoughby |date=2011-03-07 |website=Politifact |language=en |access-date=2017-09-11}}</ref>

==Reactions== When HB 87 was signed into law, it was widely described as one of the toughest such laws in the country. Multiple organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), also publicly raised the possibility of suing Georgia over the law.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=cnn/> The bill was also criticized by the leaders of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights.<ref name=cnn/> The government of Mexico also criticized Deal for signing the bill into law, saying in a statement that "The legislators and state executive ignored the many contributions of the immigrant community to the economy and society of Georgia."<ref name=cnn/> Some critics, including Azadeh N. Shahshahani and Wade Henderson, criticized the bill on the basis that it would invite racial profiling of Latinos and other people of color.<ref name=cnn/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jurist.org/hotline/2012/05/azadeh-shahshahani-georgia-hb87.php |title=HB 87 Negatively Impacts Georgia Economy and Reputation |last=Shahshahani |first=Azadeh |date=2012-05-18 |website=Jurist |language=en |access-date=2017-09-11}}</ref> Other critics also criticized the law because they thought it would adversely affect trust in the police among immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/2624 |title=Georgia's HB 87 Goes into Effect on July 1 |last=Altschulter |first=Daniel |date=2011-06-30 |website=Americas Quarterly |access-date=2017-09-11}}</ref>

Supporters of the bill generally argued that it would benefit Georgia taxpayers by reducing the economic burdens associated with providing for undocumented immigrants in the state.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UyhEDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA163 |title=Decolonizing Rhetoric and Composition Studies: New Latinx Keywords for Theory and Pedagogy |last=Ruiz |first=Iris D. |last2=Sánchez |first2=Raúl |date=2016-10-15 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9781137527240 |pages=163 |language=en}}</ref> Support for the bill came from conservative groups that support strict immigration laws, including Americans for Immigration Control, whose spokesman, Phil Kent, said that the bill was about protecting taxpayers from the costs of illegal immigration. Kent told CNN that "We just want to make sure that people are welcome here and that they come here legally. And then we can cut back on the illegal immigration."<ref name=cnn/> The bill was also supported by Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, who said that in passing it, Georgia "...seems to have addressed the top-priority matters a state can deal with," and by Catherine Davis, legislative director for the Network of Politically Active Christians, who told the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' that the bill "will stop unscrupulous behavior."<ref name=ajc/>

==Effects== HB 87 has since been criticized for allegedly having a negative impact on Georgia's economy, especially in the agricultural sector, because it decreased the number of undocumented workers who were available to work on farms in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Esses |first=Victoria M. |last2=Brochu |first2=Paula M. |last3=Dickson |first3=Karen R. |date=2012-12-01 |title=Economic Costs, Economic Benefits, and Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration |journal=Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=133–137 |doi=10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01269.x |issn=1530-2415}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/06/georgias-harsh-immigration-law-costs-millions-in-unharvested-crops/240774/ |title=Georgia's Harsh Immigration Law Costs Millions in Unharvested Crops |last=McArdle |first=Megan |date=2011-06-21 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=2017-09-03 |quote=Thanks to the resulting labor shortage, Georgia farmers have been forced to leave millions of dollars' worth of blueberries, onions, melons and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields. It has also put state officials into something of a panic at the damage they've done to Georgia's largest industry.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/17/141413786/the-nation-the-high-cost-of-anti-immigrant-laws |title=The Nation: The High Cost Of Anti-Immigrant Laws |last=Asbed |first=Greg |last2=Sellers |first2=Sean |date=2011-10-17 |website=NPR.org |access-date=2017-09-03}}</ref> A 2011 University of Georgia study showed that after the law, Georgia experienced a labor shortage of over 5,000 farm workers, which resulted in $140 million in crop losses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.walb.com/story/15626967/hb-87-costing-georgia-big-bucks |title=HB 87 is costing Georgia big bucks |website=WALB |language=en |access-date=2017-09-03}}</ref> Similarly, according to the 2012 Georgia Ag Forecast, Georgia experienced an agricultural labor shortage of almost 50% after HB 87 was passed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://onlineathens.com/local-news-business/2013-02-02/georgia-prepares-impact-immigration-reform-dc |title=Georgia prepares for impact of immigration reform in D.C. |last=Gallant |first=Andre |date=2013-02-02 |website=Athens Banner-Herald |language=en |access-date=2017-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903075319/http://onlineathens.com/local-news-business/2013-02-02/georgia-prepares-impact-immigration-reform-dc |archive-date=2017-09-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> An ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' survey, also conducted in 2011, estimated that farmers in Georgia would be short by about 11,000 workers during the upcoming season.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Khimm |first=Suzy |date=2011-06-24 |title=If Georgia Drives Away Immigrant Workers, Will Its Economy Suffer? |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/if-georgia-drives-away-immigrant-workers-will-its-economy-suffer/ |magazine=Mother Jones |language=en-US |access-date=2017-09-09 }}</ref> When Jason Carter was running for governor of Georgia in the 2014 election, he criticized Deal for signing the law, saying that it had resulted in an "economic disaster" for the state and noting that he had voted against it in the state legislature. Deal responded that Georgians believed it was important to enforce the law, and that the bill had served to remind the federal government how important it was to address the issue of undocumented immigration.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/carter-deal-clash-over-immigration/FKjj9iW9OHOzjRce4vXzCK/ |title=Carter, Deal clash over immigration |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=2017-09-20 |language=en}}</ref>

Some researchers have also expressed concern that the law may adversely affect public health among Hispanic immigrants in Georgia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Aponte-Rivera |first=Vivianne R. |last2=Dunlop |first2=Boadie W. |date=November 2011 |title=Public health consequences of state immigration laws |url=http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/sites/www.hivlawandpolicy.org/files/Public%20Health%20Consequences%20of%20State%20Immigration%20Laws%20(Aponte-Rivera%20and%20Dunlop).pdf |journal=Southern Medical Journal |volume=104 |issue=11 |pages=718–719 |doi=10.1097/SMJ.0b013e318233539b |issn=1541-8243 |pmid=22024776|doi-access=free }}</ref> For instance, a 2013 study found that visits to the pediatric emergency department among Hispanics in Georgia decreased after the law was implemented, while the acuity of these visits tended to increase; in contrast, no other group in Georgia saw these trends during the same time period.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beniflah |first=Jacob D. |last2=Little |first2=Wendalyn K. |last3=Simon |first3=Harold K. |last4=Sturm |first4=Jesse |date=2013-12-01 |title=Effects of Immigration Enforcement Legislation on Hispanic Pediatric Patient Visits to the Pediatric Emergency Department |journal=Clinical Pediatrics |language=en |volume=52 |issue=12 |pages=1122–1126 |doi=10.1177/0009922813493496 |pmid=23836808 |issn=0009-9228}}</ref>

==Protests== Prior to Governor Deal signing HB 87 into law, numerous protesters gathered outside his office at the Georgia State Capitol, and the group Southerners on New Ground called for a boycott of the state if the bill was enacted.<ref name=cnn>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/13/georgia.immigration.law/index.html |title=Georgia governor signs controversial anti-illegal immigration law |first= Gustavo |last=Valdes |date=2011-05-13 |work=CNN |access-date=2017-09-02 |language=en}}</ref> On July 2, 2011, a rally took place outside the State Capitol to protest the law; the size of the crowd was estimated at between 8,000 and 14,000.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Haines |first=Errin |date=2011-07-02 |title=Protesters rally against Georgia immigration law |url=http://www.salon.com/2011/07/02/us_georgia_immigration_protest/ |magazine=Salon |language=en}}</ref>

==Legal challenges== On June 2, 2011, the ACLU, the SPLC, the Asian Law Caucus, and the National Immigration Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging HB 87, arguing that it was preempted by federal law and was unconstitutional.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-jun-02-la-na-georgia-immigration-20110603-story.html |title=Georgia immigration law taken to court |last=Ceasar |first=Stephen |date=2011-06-02 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2017-09-09 |language=en-US |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> In March 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a permanent injunction which blocked multiple provisions of the law,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aclu.org/cases/georgia-latino-alliance-human-rights-et-al-v-deal |title=Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, et al. v. Deal |website=American Civil Liberties Union |language=en |access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref> including section 7, which made it illegal to transport or harbor undocumented immigrants while they were committing another crime.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/immigration/b/outsidenews/archive/2013/04/01/section-7-of-georgia-s-hb-87-permanently-enjoined.aspx |title=Section 7 of Georgia's HB 87 Permanently Enjoined |last=Kowalski |first=Daniel |date=2013-04-01 |website=LexisNexis |access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display/32190 Bill] on the website of the Georgia General Assembly

Category:Georgia (U.S. state) statutes Category:2011 in American law Category:2011 in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:United States immigration law Category:Immigration legislation