Georgia Politicians Take Stances on Border Policy

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Sen. Johnny Isakson

Several figures in Georgia’s political landscape have voiced their stances on the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sen. Johnny Isakson said that he is opposed to the policy and does not support the actions of the administration.

He also confirmed that his office has been flooded with several thousand calls from Georgians concerned about the policy, according to WSB-TV.

What We Know: Family Separation And 'Zero Tolerance' At The Border

Isakson’s counterpart, junior Sen. David Perdue, did not respond to questions about the issue during a recent press conference.

The two Republican candidates for governor, Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle both voiced support for the policy, and consider it a means to fix the immigration system.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s stance was not to presume anything about immigration policy, saying it was a federal issue.Gov. Nathan Deal speaks about immigration policy during a news conference June 19, 2018.

He said that there were “very difficult decisions to be made” and described confronting the situation as “traumatic,” but attributed increased public attention on the issue to a “huge increase in the number of families with children” trying to cross into the United States.

MORE: Opposing Family Separation, Governors Cancel National Guard Troops On The Border

As GPB News has previously reported, the Trump administration is enforcing a zero-tolerance policy and has separated children from guardians at the border. The Office of Refugee Resettlement has handled the “care and placement” of children.

In the Obama administration, the ORR relocated unaccompanied minors, but the current administration has expanded this practice to include relocating accompanied minors as well.