Photo: AJC

Macon Telegraph

Opinion columns and blogs

February 16, 2017

$100 million a year revenue bill shunned while internet sales taxes and casino gambling debated

D.A. King

From the Gold Dome suspect priorities file: A common sense bill that is projected to produce $100 million in annual state revenue if passed has so far been refused even a committee hearing.

House Bill 66, from state Rep. Jeff Jones of Brunswick, consists of a simple and proven concept involving a, small, fully refundable fee on wire transfers sent out of the state by individuals. Corporate transfers are specifically exempted and Jones makes it clear that his revenue bill is aimed at the vast underground economy.

Under the language of Jones’ bill, wire transfer senders who pay the small and standardized fee can easily obtain a full refund when they file their state income tax return.

Implemented in Oklahoma in 2010, the revenue system does not cost honest tax filers of any description a penny. Official reports from Oklahoma show that not only is the refundable fee system producing a reliable stream of revenue, but that it is increasing by about 10 percent each year. In 2015, the system added $11 million to the state coffers there.

The reluctance to allow a hearing on HB 66 seems to be related to the fact that in part, it will assuredly harvest revenue from the huge amount of money sent out of Georgia every year by black-market labor. This, despite Jones’ assurance that he has been told by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce that it has taken a “support” position on his measure.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Georgia has a larger illegal population than Arizona and dwarfs that of Oklahoma. Solid 2006 figures from the Inter-American Development Bank show that more than $1.7 billion was sent from Georgia in the form of “remittances” to the home nations of immigrants living in Georgia, many of them illegally.

While the Georgia Legislature may be willing to ignore the huge revenue windfall readily available involved in remittances, Mexico grins all the way to the bank. That nation took in about $25 billion last year in money sent back by its citizens living outside the country. An amount higher than its oil revenue. Most of that money left the United States. This is in addition to the fact that Atlanta is a hub for the illegal drug trade and the estimated billions of dollars that vile industry creates and which Georgia cannot levy.

HB 66 has been assigned to the Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla. This is an important note in that Powell himself has authored a bill to impose a tax — not refundable — on online commerce and has a who’s who list of powerful co-sponsors.

Add to all this the push to reinstate the fuel tax credit for Delta from establishment Republican Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, and the unabashed willingness of Republican leadership to openly debate casino gambling — I mean “destination resorts” — while boasting of the potential revenue to the state from that controversial topic.

We think the refusal to jump on the $100 million-a-year revenue from the no-brainer system involved in Jones’ bill says a lot about the Republican-run House.

It is up to the Georgia taxpayers to decide exactly what the message really is.

Update Thursday PM:

After this was written and posted here, during a lunch-time visit to the state Capitol, this writer learned that earlier in the day the Georgia House had passed a bill to give “big boat” owners a tax break. And that one of the co-signers – a Democrat – of the legislation described above had scratched his name off the bill, HB 66.

We also learned that the email sent to Rep. Jones from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce was a mistake. The Chamber had this bill confused with another one. The unsurprising reality is that the Georgia Chamber of Commerce wants HB 66 to die along with the estimated $100 million annual boost to the state budget it would harvest from the underground economy.

There is a swamp under the Gold Dome. It should be drained.

D.A. King is president of the Dustin Inman Society.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article132850189.html#storylink=cpy

Photo: Shine

16 Feb 2017

Attachment to complaint, Bibb County School District

IERB:

Please find attached a copy of the response to an open records request I received on today’s date from Bibb County School District and the admission that there is a violation of OCGA 50-36-1 on administering Public Benefits.  In this case, Adult Education.

Here is part of relevant language of OCGA 50-36-1:
f) (1) Except as provided in subsection (g) of this Code section, an agency or political subdivision providing or administering a public benefit shall require every applicant for such benefit to:

(A) Provide at least one secure and verifiable document, as defined in Code Section 50-36-2, or a copy or facsimile of such document. Any document required by this subparagraph may be submitted by or on behalf of the applicant at any time within nine months prior to the date of application so long as the document remains valid through the licensing or approval period or such other period for which the applicant is applying to receive a public benefit; and

(B) Execute a signed and sworn affidavit verifying the applicant’s lawful presence in the United States under federal immigration law; provided, however, that if the applicant is younger than 18 years of age at the time of the application, he or she shall execute the affidavit required by this subparagraph within 30 days after his or her eighteenth birthday. Such affidavit shall affirm that:

(i) The applicant is a United States citizen or legal permanent resident 18 years of age or older; or

(ii) The applicant is a qualified alien or nonimmigrant under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, Title 8 U.S.C., 18 years of age or older lawfully present in the United States and provide the applicant’s alien number issued by the Department of Homeland Security or other federal immigration agency.

(2) The state auditor shall create affidavits for use under this subsection and shall keep a current version of such affidavits on the Department of Audits and Accounts’ official website.

Here is my request sent to Bibb County (also HERE):

6 February 2017

Director of Communications Stephanie Hartley
Bibb County School District
484 Mulberry Street Macon, GA 31201
(478) 765-8711
Stephanie.Hartley@bcsdk12.net

OPEN RECORDS REQUEST

Re; Compliance with OCGA 50-36-1

Ms. Hartley,
Please regard this letter as my official request for public records under Georgia’s open records law.

According to information included in this news story from the Macon Telegraph, Bibb County Schools is administering Adult Education classes. Adult education is a public benefit under state law and is reserved for eligible recipients. The administration requirements for agencies that administer these public benefits are clear under OCGA 50-36-1.

I am familiar with the 1982 Plyler v Doe SCOTUS decision that mandates K-12 education regardless of immigration status and with the purpose of Title lll grants and their use for enrolled students and permitted project guidelines. I am also familiar with regulations that require compliance with state and local law in administration of these grants.

For the time period 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2016, Please send me copies of the following documents, which are required to be collected from applicants for public benefits. I understand that some of the information contained in these documents may be redacted.

1) Standardized, notarized affidavit from applicants for adult students for ESOL classes.
2 ) Secure and Verifiable ID offered to verify eligibility for Public Benefits.
3 ) Any documents that illustrate the original start date of the Bibb Schools Adult education classes described in the above mentioned news report.
4 ) Any document that will illustrate the total number of adults served in this program to 31 December 2016.
Please contact me with any questions.
Respectfully submitted,
D.A. King
Marietta, Ga. 30066
__
Update: First reply:
10:32 AM 6 Feb
Good morning,
Your Open Records Request is being shared here with our Chief Legal Counsel, Mr. Randy Howard. He will provide you with an update in response to your request. His email, should you have further questions or concerns, is randy.howard@bcsdk12.net.
Thank you,
Stephanie
STEPHANIE HARTLEY
Director of Communications
Bibb County School District
www.bcsdk12.net
O: 478-765-8620
C: 478-952-1753
@bibbschools

The second reply (Feb. 16) is attached on a separate page here.
D.A. King

Photo: DDS website

Fact-filled response to DDS’s Michael Mitchell’s claim that illegal aliens are not getting Georgia drivers licenses and his attack on WSB TV

“On June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization. Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. Deferred action does not provide lawful status.” (bold emphasis mine -dak)
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service website.

FYI:

*In fed law the term “alien” describes a non-(U.S.) citizen.

*With a work permit ( EAD ) / SSN an individual (illegal alien or not) can get a Georgia drivers license and/or an ID card.

*Here is what oft-quoted immigration lawyer and former GALEO board member, Charles Kuck told GPB when asked about “lawful presence/legal status:

”We’re not talking about legal status–that’s an entirely different thing—nor are we arguing that these children have legal status, they do not. But they do have lawful presence and if the language ‘lawfully present’ is present in the Board of Regents’ tuition policy and the federal government says that these children are lawfully present if granted DACA, there is no lawful reason why these children are not given in-state tuition in Georgia,” Kuck explained.”

 

**Here is just one of several liberal media reports confirming illegal aliens are getting drivers licesnes in Georgia. I have a bunch more.

→DDS/Michael Mitchell’s letter to the legislators claiming WSB TV is inaccurate, by segment:

“Recent media reports concerning the DDS driver’s license issuance policies have incorrectly stated that DDS issues credentials to illegal immigrants. That is not true.” FALSE: The illegal aliens to whom Pres. Obama granted deferred action on deportation are still illegal aliens. USCIS makes that very clear again – ( FAQ ) here – twice). They do not have “legal/lawful status.”

They are aliens (non-citizens) here w/o legal status. Because of the 2012 Obama decree, they do have “lawful presence” which is merely a term to describe the fact that they are not accruing “unlawful presence” time, which after a year can stop re-entry for up to 10 years.

“Q5: If my case is deferred, am I in lawful status for the period of deferral?
A5: No. Although action on your case has been deferred and you do not accrue unlawful presence (for admissibility purposes) during the period of deferred action, deferred action does not confer any lawful status.”

State law (OCGA 50-36-1 as one example) was written long before anyone could imagine that anyone would extend a deferred action program imlemented to be applied on a case-by-case, individual basis –to about 750,000 illegal aliens.

The intent and language of the original version of SB 6 (2015) was to change the language in Ga. Law from “lawful presence” to “legal status” so as to end issuance of drivers licenses/ID cards to illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation. In 2016, with new language that only changed the look and use of the drivers license/ID card now issued to non-citizens/illegal aliens with no legal status, SB 6 passed the state senate with every Republican vote except one ( Sen. Tommie Williams, who made it clear both years that any action on SB 6 would harm the continued employment of his sous chef).

“DDS requires proof of lawful status from all non-citizens before the issuance of a Georgia driver’s license or ID Card.” FALSE: See above. They cannot prove what they clearly do not have. DDS has been peddling this to lawmakers for three years. All he had to do was use “lawful presence” to be accurate and explain legal status, which is what I have been trying to explain to the Gold Dome for three years. He made a large mistake in the House committee the other day with his word game and now must cover to protect himself.

“Every person issued a Georgia driver’s license or ID card from DDS has provided documents showing proof that he or she is authorized to be in the United States.” TRUE. See “lawful presence.” Again, the intent of existing state law was to stop illegal aliens from obtaining a driver license. The original version of SB 6 was aimed at changing the language of the law to read “must have ‘legal status’ from “lawful presence.” All he had to do is make all of that clear. But clarity here will give away the game…

“The type of immigration document used to substantiate lawful status varies, but one thing is constant — DDS has verified that each person is authorized to be present in the United States for the term specified by the United States government and listed on their immigration document.” FALSE – (* Most of) the illegals show the work permit and SSN given to them through deferred action on deportation status that has given them “lawful presence.” He is very wrong here. Last year he was more cautious. They are still illegal aliens because they have no legal status. They cannot substantiate legal status, as they do not have it.

“The Federal government determines a non-citizen’s immigration status and term of authorized stay in the United States. Therefore, DDS does not issue driver’s licenses and/or identification cards to “illegal aliens.” FALSE: Aliens without legal status are illegal aliens. See what I mean about his tricky word games? Despite the fact that GA. has more illegals than Arizona., legislators have zero knowledge of any of this but want desperately for this to be correct. It isn’t. The WSB clarification was needed.

“Recent court decisions have ordered DDS to issue licenses to non-citizens who present documentation that they are authorized to remain in the United States regardless of how they entered the United States.” * TRUE. Not all illegal aliens with a Ga. DL have deferred action on deportation. There is a class of illegals who have been convicted of crimes (some very violent) and have already been ordered deported. But they are still on our streets. If they submit a ( knowingly futile ) request to become a US citizen, Obama was giving them a work permit and SSN. Presto, they get a Ga. DL with those docs. A Fulton Judge found for these aliens w/o legal status after DDS stopped giving then a DL after about three years. Ga. did not appeal. They would have won, but then it would create to much noise… These illegal aliens have the code “C-18” (Deportable alien under order of supervision – page 12-23) on their work permit.

“The correction made by WSBTV’s Justin Farmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFv5YGARtM) to a recent legislative news story which states that DDS has issued some licenses to “people here illegally” who have been temporarily deferred is not true.” FALSE: This statement on DDS is 100% inaccurate. Again, illegal aliens were granted deferred action on deportation and given work permits and SSNs. He is also opening holes in his last sentence on the “court decision” – already ordered deported goop.

“Each person issued a Georgia driver’s license or ID card has been verified to be in the United States lawfully and are not considered to be in the United States “illegally” at the time of their issuance.” TRUE: Because of the “lawful presence” status that came with the deferred action on deportation, they are not accruing unlawful presence. He seems to be reating the same attempt to cover himself a lot…

“DDS follows a stringent license/ID issuance procedure dictated by law. Improper reporting of this important process, circumvents the DDS mission of protecting the integrity of our issuance process.” TRUE and FALSE. We have no doubt that DDS is following state law on “lawful precense” – but the game here is to hide the fact that Georgia has been issuing DLs and ID cards to aliens without legal status since 2012 and to hinder the passage of a law to change the language to obtain original intent.

It looks a lot like DDS does not want the facts out there.

dak

Below is a copy of an email sent to the Republican state senators in Georgia Saturday by DDS employee Michael Mitchell in response to me own email to them. See link for contents of my email.

From: “Mitchell, Michael”
Date: February 12, 2017 at 7:28:20 AM CST
To: “senatoralbers.com” , “Beach, Brandon” , “Black, Ellis” , “Burke, Dean” , “Cowsert, Bill” , “Dugan, Mike” , “Ginn, Frank” , SteveGooch , “Harbin, Marty” , “Harper, Tyler” , “Heath, Bill” , “Hill, Hunter” , “Hill, Jack” , “judson@judsonhil.com” , “Hufstetler, Chuck” , “Jeffares, Rick” , “Jones, Burt” , “Kennedy, John” , “Kirk, Greg” , “Ligon, William” , “Martin, P”

, “jrm2016@yaho.com” , “Millar, Fran” , “Miller, Butch” , “Mullis, Jeff” , “Shafer, David” , “Stone, Jesse” , “Thompson, Bruce” , “Tippins, Lindsey” , “Unterman, Renee” , “larry.walker@senate.ga.gov” , “Watson, Ben” , “Wilkinson, John” , “Williams, Michael”
Subject: Department of Driver Services and non-citizen customers

The purpose of this email is to reiterate Driver Services’ policy regarding the issuance of licenses and identification cards to non-citizens. Please see attached.

It has come to my attention that I am being accused of lying to a House committee when I stated in testimony last week that DDS does not issue licenses to “illegal aliens”.

I have yet to see the contents of an email that I understand many of you received, but I am told it contains libelous attacks against my credibility.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or have any difficulties opening the attachment.

Thank you,

Mike Mitchell, Director
Governmental Affairs and Public Information
Georgia Department of Driver Services

February 11, 2017

GA Department of Driver Services (DDS) Sets the Record Straight
State and Federal Laws Require Proof of Lawful Status from All Non-Citizens for License/ID Card Issuance

Recent media reports concerning the DDS driver’s license issuance policies have incorrectly stated that DDS issues credentials to illegal immigrants. That is not true. DDS requires proof of lawful status from all non-citizens before the issuance of a Georgia driver’s license or ID Card. Every person issued a Georgia driver’s license or ID card from DDS has provided documents showing proof that he or she is authorized to be in the United States.

The type of immigration document used to substantiate lawful status varies, but one thing is constant — DDS has verified that each person is authorized to be present in the United States for the term specified by the United States government and listed on their immigration document.

The Federal government determines a non-citizen’s immigration status and term of authorized stay in the United States. Therefore, DDS does not issue driver’s licenses and/or identification cards to “illegal aliens.”

Recent court decisions have ordered DDS to issue licenses to non-citizens who present documentation that they are authorized to remain in the United States regardless of how they entered the United States. The correction made by WSBTV’s Justin Farmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFv5YGARtM) to a recent legislative news story which states that DDS has issued some licenses to “people here illegally” who have been temporarily deferred is not true.

Each person issued a Georgia driver’s license or ID card has been verified to be in the United States lawfully and are not considered to be in the United States “illegally” at the time of their issuance.

DDS follows a stringent license/ID issuance procedure dictated by law. Improper reporting of this important process, circumvents the DDS mission of protecting the integrity of our issuance process.
-0-

February 10, 2017

Macon Telegraph

Opinion columns and blogs

Photo, DDS website

Department of Driver Services legislative liaison goes full Pinocchio on official video at Gold Dome

BY D.A. KING
Special to The Telegraph

Illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation are still illegal aliens — but current state law loophole gives them official photo ID cards and drivers licenses.

Before you begin reading please note: You can easily contact DDS here.

Georgia’s Department of Driver Services employee and liaison to the Legislature, Michael Mitchell, has been telling state legislators for years that illegal aliens are not getting Georgia drivers licenses.

That is not true. It has been happening since mid-2012. More than 26,000 illegals now have an official photo ID card or a drivers license in the Peach State.

Legislation (SB 6) passed in the state Senate last year to alter the license given to illegals so that it does not look exactly like the license given to foreign diplomats, legal visa holders like Mercedes Benz executives and real, legal immigrants, as they do now. Macon state Senator John F. Kennedy voted for it.

The proposed new driving card could only be used for driving purposes. Not to board an airliner or to purchase explosives.

Even the liberal AJC covered it. Yesterday, an Atlanta TV station aired a correction to a story based on DDS’s Mitchell misinformation published in the AJC.

Now you can see video from a Feb. 7, 2017 Georgia House Motor Vehicles Committee hearing on a DDS bill in which Mitchell not only allows Rep. Alan Powell, R- Hartwell to move on legislation with wildly inaccurate assumptions, but then comes right out and tells the committee that “we do not issue to illegals.” START AT 36:49 on the official House video archive.

You can also see that Mitchell is going full Pinocchio on this — and because of a recent meeting with the DDS commissioner on it, I can see that it is likely by directive — with info listed here.

Other examples of DDS employee misleading legislators can be seen here and here in official email.

FYI: The DDS commissioner is appointed by and works at the pleasure of Gov. Nathan Deal. No matter what anyone thinks about victims of borders getting a Georgia drivers license, is there anyone out there who approves of this example of the Gold Dome swamp?

As a public service, we also post the phone number in Gov. Deal’s Capitol office ( 404-656-1776 ) to use in case you want to leave a polite message about this caper with one of the governor’s hard working young staffers. They will forward your thoughts on to him.

2015 polling ( question 4 ) shows that most Georgians oppose giving any illegal aliens any drivers license.

And, by the way: How many illegal aliens can legally obtain a drivers license in Mexico? Zero. Nada. We hope you will read all about that part of this saga here.

dak

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article132079474.html#storylink=cpy

Letters to the editor, MDJ

February 9, 2017

Associated Press is print version of MSNBC
Feb 9, 2017
DEAR EDITOR:

I too am very disturbed that the March for Life received absolutely no coverage in the Marietta Daily Journal (Meredith Brinkmann, MDJ Letters, 2/1/2017).

Disturbed, but not the least surprised. MDJ gets all its national and international news articles from the Associated Press, which is the equivalent of MSNBC in print form. I shouldn’t say news articles, I should say “news” stories since they are all slanted to the far left. AP believes in that old saying “never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

Even though most years the March for Life draws far more people (mostly women) than the abortion march the week before, there are no major news outlets that will cover it, nor are there any networks, either.

Another example of this incredible bias is when the AP issued a piece concerning the fact that Donald Trump lost two electoral votes when the college of electors met in December, but nowhere, ever, at any time did they mention that Hillary Clinton lost eight. AP, in a recent article actually called itself a “fact-checking outlet.”

Really? What a joke. If MDJ wants to be the paper they say they are, perhaps they should look for a more honest source for national and international news.

F.H. Bourgeois

Marietta   HERE (paywall)

Photo: Weathervane factory

Letter to the editor
Marietta Daily Journal   
February 10, 2017

How is Bob Barr still relevant?

DEAR EDITOR:

Here at our house, we were surprised to see the MDJ has made Bob Barr a regular columnist. What decade is this again? This should be amusing, if anyone pays attention.

I hope that someone reads all of Barr’s columns, if only to be able to note the sure-to-come, weather-vane swivels in his “strongly held” opinions that week.

Those who watched him go from a Republican congressman who voted for immigration enforcement in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to being an “open borders if you say you aren’t a terrorist” Libertarian candidate for president and then back to a GOP candidate for congress in 2014 who had two simultaneous and opposite positions on e-Verify worker verification know that for Barr, there is no firm ground on many topics. Especially immigration.

Our prediction is he soon will try to strike fear in the hearts of readers with a “worker shortage” theory, comes out in support of an immigration amnesty and for increasing already too-high legal immigration numbers.

We remember that the MDJ endorsed him for Congress two years ago, but by putting Barr in a regular opinion page spot the “conservative voice” of the MDJ op-ed page is most certainly devolving.

That is as polite as we can make it.

Someone will undoubtedly read Barr’s columns and shifting opinions, but we won’t.

Bill Buckler

Kennesaw

HERE – (pay wall)

Photo: DDS website

Note: you can easily contact DDS HERE.

Georgia’s Department of Driver Services employee and liaison to the legislature, Michael Mitchell,  has been telling state legislators for years that illegal aliens are not getting Georgia drivers licenses. That is not true. It has been happening since mid-2012. Legislation ( SB 6) has been passed in the state senate to alter the license given to illegals so that it does not look exactly like the license given to foreign diplomat’s families, legal visa holders like Mercedes Benz executives and real, legal immigrants. Even the liberal AJC covered it.  Yesterday, an Atlanta TV station ran a correction to a story based on DDS’s Mitchell’s mis-information.

Photo: Linkedin

Here is video from a February 7, 2017 Georgia House Motor Vehicles Committee hearing on a DDS bill in which Mitchell not only allows Rep Alan Powell to move on legislation with wildly inaccurate assumptions, but then comes right out and tells the committee that “we do not issue to illegals.” START AT 36:49 on the official House video archive.

You can also see that Mitchell is going full Pinocchio on this – and because I have had a meeting with the DDS Commissioner on it, I can see that it is by directive – with info listed HERE.

Other examples of DDS Michael Mitchell employee misleading legislators can be seen HERE and HERE in official email. I have more examples of the intentional obfiscation. One of them is posted below (the attachment shows that more than 26,000 illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation now have a Georgia ID card and/or a Georgia drivers license – according to DHS, “Deferred action does not provide lawful status” :

“D.A. KING” <dking1952@comcast.net>, Josh McKoon <jrm2016@yahoo.com>

Please see Michael’s statement below to clarify.

Thank you.
Donna Nealey – Senate Legislative Assistant
Legislative Assistant to Senator Fran Millar – Chairman Senate Higher Education
Legislative Assistant to Senator Josh McKoon

Georgia State Senate
18 Capitol Square – 319 CLOB
Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-7872 – direct dial
770-315-4060 – cell number
404-657-3217 – fax number
donna.nealey@senate.ga.gov<mailto:donna.nealey@senate.ga.gov>

From: Mitchell, Michael [mailto:mbmitchell@dds.ga.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2017 8:41 AM
To: Nealey, Donna
Subject: Re: DDS Request – State ID Card – Senator Josh McKoon

Donna,

I’ve forwarded the request to our general counsel; however, we don’t have information on “illegal aliens”. If there are specific non citizen categories that Mr King would like us to provide, we are glad to do so.

Thx

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 25, 2017, at 8:10 AM, Nealey, Donna <Donna.Nealey@senate.ga.gov<mailto:Donna.Nealey@senate.ga.gov>> wrote:
Please see the request below:
– need latest number of illegal aliens with a Georgia drivers’ license/official state ID card from DDS

Thank you.

Donna Nealey – Senate Legislative Assistant
Legislative Assistant to Senator Fran Millar – Chairman Senate Higher Education
Legislative Assistant to Senator Josh McKoon

Georgia State Senate
18 Capitol Square – 319 CLOB
Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-7872 – direct dial
770-315-4060 – cell number
404-657-3217 – fax number
donna.nealey@senate.ga.gov<mailto:donna.nealey@senate.ga.gov>

From: D.A. KING [mailto:DKing*******]
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2017 7:18 AM
To: Joshua McKoon
Cc: Nealey, Donna
Subject: need latest number of illegal aliens with a Georgia drivers license/official state ID card from DDS, pls. Time sensitive

Private matters
FEBRUARY 8, 2017 ~ RANDYTRAVISFOX5

As far as questions go, they don’t get much simpler.

When was Jose DeJesus Lara-Rostro going to have his deportation hearing?

The 26-year-old Lawrenceville man had come up in our investigation about immigrants busted multiple times for drunk driving, yet still allowed to stay in the country.

Lara-Rostro was on his third DUI before the Mexican-born high school dropout was finally detained by immigration authorities in 2015. He had already been convicted of drunk driving in 2012 and 2013. His last arrest happened after he led Lilburn police on a chase through their city late one night, running multiple red lights, eventually crashing in a ditch.

“He’s all over the road,” you can hear one deputy radioing dispatch. “If he doesn’t stop he’s going to kill somebody.”… READ THE REST HERE.

UPDATE January 10, 2018 Just remembered to post the response from the official PIO at USCIS on the status of DACA illegal aliens. (USCIS says they have no lawful status) HERE

UPDATED Again, Feb 10 10:00 AM – WSB -TV used the below story from the AJC in its 6:00 PM news broadcast. After realizing the obvious problems, WSB TV ran a correction at our request. We are very grateful to Ms. Misti Turnbull, News Nirector at WSB. WSB had previously aired stories regarding the fact that illegal aliens are getting drivers licensees in Georgia. The AJC has also run news stories admitting illegals get a Georgia drivers licesne. Tra-la…

BTW: the AJC slogan is “Credible. Compelling. Complete.”

UPDATE

From AJC reporter David Wickert at 9:34 AM Feb 9:

Mr. King,
Thanks for speaking with me yesterday. After our conversation, I spoke with the Department of Driver Services and reporter Jeremy Redmon, who covers immigration issues. I rephrased a portion of my article to be more precise about who can receive a state driver’s license.
My editors and I don’t believe the change merits a correction. But thanks for being a careful reader.

David Wickert
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
770-263-3062
Follow me on Twitter @dwickert

I am posting the complete (current version) of this so as to illustrate the fact that AJC – Bert Roughton managing editor – will change text of news reports without notation when challenged. This story from reporter David Wickert. BTW: Yesterday the Georgia Department of Drivers Services (DDS) legislative liaison, Michael Mitchell, told the House Motor Vehicles committee that Georgia is not issuing drivers licenses to illegals. Not one member of that committee disputed that intentional lie. Why is that not “the news?”

HERE is an AP report admitting illegal aliens who have already been ordered deported were suing to get a Georgia drivers license. They won. Georgia did not appeal. The AJC did cover that dangerous fact.

HERE is an AP report explaining that illegal aliens with a delay/deferral on deportation are getting a Georgia drivers license.

HERE is a Wall St. Journal report (paywall) explaining that Georgia issues drivers licenses to illegal aliens with deferred action on deportation. Heads up to AJC – only illegal aliens need a deferral on deportation.

HERE is a very well written and lucid explanation ( much more clear than anything from the AJC ) of how illegal aliens get a drivers license in Georgia – and that it does not happen in Mexico.

HERE is an AJC story with an inaccurate headline that tells readers Georgia passed legislation that ends the practice of issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens from 2013. Despite my efforts, it was never corrected.

Added 9 Feb: HERE is an AJC story from the well-trained immigration reporter ( “In 2013, he completed a fellowship with The New York Times Institute on Immigration Reporting at the University of California Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. And in 2012, he completed fellowships at the Institute for Justice and Journalism on Immigration Reporting at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication and at the Journalist Law School at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles ) who will not write “illegal” – so illegal aliens are “immigrants without legal status” – explaining quite carefully that the Georgia senate passed SB 6 last year to change the drivers license issued to illegal aliens…Welcome to Newspeak in Georgiafornia:”Georgia would create special driver’s licenses and ID cards that more clearly identify immigrants without legal status under controversial legislation the Republican-controlled Senate approved on a 37-17 vote Monday.”

Photo: AJC Caption: AJC “Georgia does not issue driver’s licenses to people who are not in the United States legally. However, it issues temporary licenses to noncitizens who are in the country legally.”

Bill: Give legal residents “noncitizen” driver’s licenses

David Wickert

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
8:36 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017  – Metro Atlanta / State news

Legal Georgia residents who are not U.S. citizens would have their driver’s licenses branded with the term “noncitizen” under a bill that passed a House of Representatives committee Tuesday.

The provision’s sponsor, Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, said it could prevent noncitizens from registering to vote or take advantage of other benefits reserved for U.S. citizens.

“I don’t care if you’re a regional vice president for Mercedes,” Powell told the House Motor Vehicles Committee Tuesday. “If you’re in this country and can get a driver’s license, it at least ought to have on there `noncitizen.’”

Georgia does not issue driver’s licenses to people who are not in the United States legally. However, it issues temporary licenses to noncitizens who are in the country legally.

State Rep. Dewey McClain, D-Lawrenceville, questioned the usefulness of Powell’s amendment. He wondered what police officers would make of the “noncitizen” stamp if they pulled over a legal resident.

“If you’re not legal, you can’t get licenses at all anyway,” McClain said.

Powell said he doesn’t see any downside to the “noncitizen” label.

“I don’t think `noncitizen’ is a very offensive term,” Powell said. “It just clearly states it.”

By a 4-3 vote, the Motor Vehicles Committee attached Powell’s provision to House Bill 136, which would allow Georgia residents to keep their old driver’s licenses when they renew them. The committee then approved the amended bill.

Last year a bill that would have created special driver’s licenses and ID cards identifying immigrants without legal status passed the Senate but died in the House. HERE – as of this morning…