Posted on April 11, 2006

Crackdown Advocates Plan Rallies

Denis O’Hayer, First Coast News (Atlanta), April 10, 2006

Advocates of an immigration crackdown say they will rally — just like the pro-immigration groups did on Monday.

Two separate groups are planning counter demonstrations at the state Capitol.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook for three days,” said activist D.A. King. “There is no universal civil right to live in the U.S.”

King says he plans a counter-rally at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday April 17 — income tax filing day. He says that before Congress opens any path to citizenship for those already in the U.S., it should secure the borders and punish employers who hire illegal immigrants.

King says he believes that would convince many undocumented workers to go home.

“Nobody breaks into Disneyland if they can’t ride the rides. Okay, and by the way, it is considerably more difficult to break into Disneyland than it is to walk into the United States,” King said.

Another grass-roots group plans a rally at the Capitol on Saturday. Meanwhile, a proposed federal crackdown deadlocked in the Senate last week.

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At the state Captiol, Gov. Sonny Perdue’s press secretary said he would have nothing to say about the march, but he is expected to sign a crackdown that lawmakers passed last month.

The bill denies state services to most adults in the country illegally. But it stops far short of criminal charges for employers or deportation for workers. It’s sponsor calls it a first step.

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