Georgia Professor’s Immigration Comments Cause Stir on Social Media

A Georgia Gwinnett College professor’s online comments about illegal immigrants have prompted some, including a state lawmaker, to say he should be reprimanded or fired.

The professor, a Chinese legal immigrant, says of the criticism: Bring it on.

Fang Zhou, an associate history professor at the college, is being criticized by some for using phrases such as “ghetto thugs” and “libtards” in social media conversations about illegal immigration and for saying he has a “Deportation of illegal immigrants” sign in his office.

He remarked: “I am against political correctness. I speak truth to power in class and my students learn about the financial drain of illegal immigration on the economy and the high crime rates of illegal immigrants. My students are ‘woke’ and are overwhelmingly against illegal immigration after taking my class.”

State Rep. Bee Nguyen, D-Atlanta, {snip} who in 2017 became the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, said she found the remarks particularly disturbing because of the college’s racial diversity. Nearly 70% of its students are African American, Asian or Hispanic. The lawmaker said she planned to write the college to voice her concerns. She noted U.S. House lawmakers passed a bill this week that would offer a path to U.S. citizenship for young, undocumented immigrants.

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The college’s academic freedom policy allows faculty to speak without fear of censure, but reminds them that they “should remember that the public may judge [his/her] profession and [his/her] institution by [his/her] utterances.”

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“If you are going to to reward illegal immigrants, there will be more illegal immigrants,” he said.

Zhou said he has plenty of students who disagree with his viewpoints, some have sent him hate mail. Critics, he said, must come with information to defend their position.

“To make a convincing argument, please present evidence,” Zhou said.

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