Georgia Gov. Kemp Signs Bill Requiring Sheriffs to Enforce Federal Immigration Law

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed into law a number of bills, including tough new immigration enforcement legislation aimed at bolstering public safety.

The Republican governor signed approximately 10 new measures into law that he said would serve to counteract lawlessness, boost recruitment of law enforcement officers, make communities safer, and provide the state’s judicial system with “even tougher tools to bring violent offenders to justice.”

Among the measures signed into law was House Bill 1105, which requires local and state law enforcement to check the immigration status of individuals over the age of 18 who are arrested, those who are detained, or those whom an “officer has probable cause to believe” have committed a crime.

Local law enforcement officials must also cooperate with federal authorities by notifying them when illegal immigrants are arrested and by detaining them for deportation.

Local law enforcement agencies that fail to comply with the law risk losing state funding, while local officials who do not cooperate with immigration authorities may be subject to misdemeanor charges, according to the bill.

Republicans had pushed for House Bill 1105 in the wake of the murder of nursing student Laken Riley. Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra, who authorities say entered the country illegally, is the suspect in the killing of Ms. Riley.