The uproar over the relocation of illegal Central American minors by the federal government within our borders hasn’t hit the Georgia political scene in a big way – yet. But it could very well be an issue here before the November election.
Insider Advantage has already reported that an Atlanta attorney is already processing “hundreds” of cases involving underage, illegal Central Americans who are in Georgia. The Obama administration is remaining silent, though, about targeting Georgia. As this is written, the feds would not confirm that an Atlanta charity is negotiating to take far more unaccompanied alien children (“UACs” ) to be housed and to become permanent dependents of the U.S. taxpayer.
Furthermore, NBC-TV reports that Georgia is one of the states apparently chosen to settle Central American immigrants. No details were offered.
The campaign of Bob Barr for Congress has also issued a statement insisting that it has sources in at least one federal agency and in Congress that say an unspecified number of Central American illegals could be transported to Georgia– and even that some may already have been relocated here “surreptitiously.” The Barr campaign adds that it has made further inquiries to federal authorities through official channels and has been rebuffed.
Of course former Congressman Barr has been known to fish for targeted high-profile headlines to bolster his chances at election, so his campaign’s claim should be taken with some caution. (No member of Georgia’s congressional delegation has yet responded publicly to Barr’s call for them to look into the matter.)
Even so, there is at least anecdotal information that there is some truth to Barr’s claim. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson admitted to Georgia Congressman Paul Broun in a Congressional hearing that there is at least some placing of Central American illegal immigrants with their (illegal) families that are already in the U.S. And a new national survey indicates that Georgia rates tenth among states as a favored destination for these immigrants, both legal and illegal.
The foremost question is whether there will be any significant mainstream media publicity surrounding illegal aliens ending up in the Peach State before the November election. Second, will the current tension between the Obama administration and the state of Texas create political furor here?
The second happening is more likely. All indications are that President Barack Obama in the coming weeks or months is going to at least make an administrative gesture– again– toward some form of amnesty for some illegal immigrants. The dire, chaotic crisis at the Mexican border – and the president’s failure to visit the border to coordinate with state and local officials– is a dramatic background to this unfolding drama.
Will it affect the November elections in Georgia? That likely depends on whether the current border crisis remains at full boil into the fall, and whether the White House doubles down on its apparent determination to push for immediate “comprehensive” immigration reform in Congress, political torpedoes be damned.
There is debate in Democratic circles about how to publicly address any forcing of the immigration issue on Congress by the Obama administration. Sources say one line of thought has it that Republican voters won’t be further motivated to turn out beyond what they already are, but Hispanics reacting to immigration tensions and African Americans closing ranks around Obama will be especially motivated to turn out in November as a response to the bloody political fight over illegal immigration.
But this scenario likely would only work to the advantage of Democratic candidates in Georgia if the party’s plan to register tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands) of new, mostly black voters pans out. Otherwise, Democratic candidates like Jason Carter for governor and Michelle Nunn for U.S. Senate are going to have to appeal more to moderate white voters to have a good chance to win in November. That support likely will wane if the anarchic happenings on an unsecure border stay in the news and taxpayers start to be gouged for the tab of housing and babysitting the more and more illegals. (Obama’s popularity rating in Georgia will probably continue at a dismal level because of his heathcare mess and other issues.)
In short, if the president persists in doubling down on his goals for granting more illegal immigrant amnesty, the partisan battle lines in Georgia will to intensify. And in a state that is still far more “red” than “blue,” that’s likely to the advantage of Republicans.
