Georgia Democrats propose legislation aimed to protect citizens from deportation

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Democratic state Sens. Sheikh Rahman, Rashaun Kemp, Harold Jones, Elena Parent, Josh McLaurin, and Sally Harrell announce proposed immigration legislation.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Georgia Senate Democrats say they will take action at the state level to attempt to protect U.S. citizens and those legally in the country from deportation.

The lawmakers said in a news conference they will file legislation during the next session that would prohibit Georgia county and municipal law enforcement from facilitating deportation of citizens or lawful permanent residents.

Democratic Sen. Elena Parent supports the proposed bill.

“We need to pass this law and speak out, defend our citizens, defend due process, and defend democracy while we still can," she said. The bill was proposed after Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a citizen of El Salvador and legal resident of Maryland, was erroneously deported to El Salvador by federal immigration. 

The bill will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled legislature. In 2024, the Legislature passed House Bill 1105, which would require local law enforcement to comply with immigration enforcement.

"This bill simply ensures that when individuals have committed crimes in Georgia and are jailed and in custody, that when we determine that they are illegally in this country, we work fully with immigration authorities," Republican state Rep. Jesse Petrea said when he presented the bill to the House in 2024. 

HB 1105 took effect on Dec. 31, 2024, and local law enforcement have begun to implement some changes.