Monday’s Republican gubernatorial debate was quite the back-and-forth slugfest between what polling suggests are the two main candidates— healthcare CEO Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. But especially dramatic and surprising moments occurred when Jones brought up the issue of his rival employing illegal alien labor.
Although Jackson has pledged to deport all illegal aliens in Georgia, the lieutenant governor cited a New York Post article (published just before the debate) that Jackson employed illegal immigrants to tend to his sprawling mansion grounds in Cumming. He pointedly asked Jackson if he employs illegal immigrants, and the awkward reply was “I don’t know.”
However, Jackson said in a deposition the newspaper cites that he never vetted “new hires” using the mandatory I-9 forms which ensure that employees are eligible to work.” (Jackson was deposed twice in a workplace dispute — in October 2023 and January 2024 — where he denied knowledge that one of his employees could not lawfully work in the country.)
The workplace dispute erupted when Mexican citizen Fernando Ortega fell while working on the mansion’s mulch. But Ortega reportedly was denied workers’ compensation benefits because Jackson allegedly hired him without checking his work status. Ortega’s supervisor also testified that he had never filled out his taxes using a Social Security number.
During a deposition Jackson denied knowledge that the supervisor named Ivan Robolledo could not lawfully work in the country. Yet both Ortega and Robolledo admitted in court records that they were Mexican nationals, according to the New York Post.
The following is the newspaper’s report on this aspect of the dispute:
“Do you recall that during his deposition, he [Robolledo] testified that he was undocumented, didn’t have a Social Security number or work permit?” a lawyer asked the Jackson Healthcare founder and CEO during the 2024 sit down. “I wasn’t there when he testified in his deposition,” Jackson responded. “Did you know that he was undocumented?” the lawyer also asked. “No,” said Jackson, who also admitted that he never vetted “new hires” using mandatory I-9 forms, which ensure employees are eligible to work.
The Jones campaign says their candidate clearly won that round in the slugfest, but Jackson was no doubt gratified that two other gubernatorial candidates present– Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger— attacked Jones while basically leaving the billionaire businessman alone.
In the debate’s aftermath, a big question for Republican voters remains: Will Jones and Jackson now pivot to more positive advertising messaging as the May 19th primary draw closer?
