Bills aimed at forcing local governments to help deport illegal immigrants instead of sheltering them are powering through the Georgia legislature.
It is part of a continuing political response to the brutal murder of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus allegedly by a Venezuelan man. The Senate is backing a bill that would punish cities and counties , say are harboring immigrants who entered the US illegally.
They are also supporting a measure aimed at compelling city and county jailers to check the immigration status of inmates. Senate Republicans all voted in favor of the bill Thursday, all of the Democrats voted against it.
