(The Center Square) – A bill that would remove legal immunity from elected officials in sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with immigration officials is moving through the Georgia Senate.
Senate Bill 21, sponsored by Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, also requires jails to hold inmates arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Sanctuary cities allow too many undocumented immigrants into the US and threaten our national and state security,” Tillery said. “By discouraging illegal aliens from finding refuge in Georgia, we do our part in mitigating the crisis at the southern border.”
The bill, currently in the Senate Public Safety Committee, would open up elected officials to civil lawsuits over illegal immigration.
A 2009 law passed by Georgia lawmakers bans sanctuary cities. Lawmakers added more teeth to the ban in 2024 with House Bill 1105. Local governments that provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants could lose state funding, and elected officials could face misdemeanor charges for not enforcing Georgia’s immigration laws as part of the bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The Tennessee General Assembly is currently debating a law that would charge elected officials with a felony for not following federal and state immigration policies.
One Republican lawmaker questioned the provision in a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee held Tuesday. Elizabeth Insogna, a legislative attorney for the Tennessee General Assembly, told the panel the bill is “constitutionally suspect.”
The legislation is part of a package that would also create the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division to work with the Trump administration.
Lawmakers are debating immigration, school choice and hurricane relief during a special session being held this week.