FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an immigration law increasing immigration enforcement following Laken Riley's killing.
An undocumented immigrant from Venezuela was accused of killing an Augusta nursing student on the University of Georgia's campus in February.
House Bill 1105 will require law enforcement and local officials to verify immigration status and detain undocumented aliens who have been arrested, have been detained, or if an officer has probable cause to believe a crime was committed.
Angelica Angela is the owner of Angel's Multiservices & Insurance in Macon. Her company helps undocumented immigrants who live in Georgia. She says her customers are worried and says the bill hinders many Georgians.
"I think it's going to hurt the economy drastically for everybody in the state of Georgia, and also it's going to hurt a lot of families that are just here trying to earn a living. I think it's also going to cause a lot of racial profiling where people just by looking Hispanic are going to be targeted," Angel said.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese says this bill will hold local and state law enforcement accountable when reporting to immigration services. He says his office has already been reporting to immigration services if someone has been detained already.
"There's already a law in the book. We're already required to notify immigration if we arrest somebody and bring them to our jail and they're from another country," Deese said.
This house bill is similar to the Laken Riley Act, which is the bill on the federal level. The bill requires the detention of a migrant who committed burglary or theft.
Angel says she believes the law will target anyone who looks Hispanic or Latin. She says she doesn't want to be compared to the man who allegedly killed Laken Riley.
"It's not fair that everyone's going to have to pay the consequences for somebody that murders someone carelessly," Angel said.
Deese says he wants the Hispanic and Latin community to reach out to law enforcement and knows undocumented immigrants are less likely to trust law enforcement.
He says the new law doesn't give him or his deputies the right to stop someone "because they look like they might be from somewhere else" and only puts the burden on law enforcement to fill out the reports. Right now, their current system gives them information on who to call after an undocumented alien is arrested.
"Now, we just make a phone call. We have a 1-800 number, we notify them that we have somebody, they check their records and they'll call us back and say "We want to place a hold on this person," Deese said.
Angel says she will continue to help her current and new customers if they have any concerns.
Deese says the Georgia Sheriff's Association will be sending out requirements soon on how to log someone who is undocumented and in their custody.