In observance of #RJDay4Immigrants, SPARK is joining All Above All along with our community partners across the nation to send a message to our elected representatives that immigrant rights are inseparable from reproductive justice as a cross-sectional liberation movement.
One of the ways we are pledging support to immigrant communities is by joining Asian Americans Advancing Justice in a public petition to Governor Nathan Deal asking that he veto House Bill 37 & House Bill 452 as we believe them to be harmful to our communities and a violation of the basic reproductive justice tenets that call for the liberation of all people regardless of race, gender or nationality.
We ask you to veto two pieces of anti-immigrant legislation passed in the 2017 Legislative Session: House Bill 37 and House Bill 452. These bills are clear attempts to target immigrant communities and will position Georgia as an unwelcoming state for business, travel, and future immigration.
As laid out in House Bill 37, private universities should not be targeted for providing opportunities to all students, regardless of immigration status. Withholding state and pass-through federal funding would only serve to penalize educators for doing their jobs and protecting their students. As of this bill’s passing, Emory University and others have already stated that they will not pursue sanctuary policies at this time. Additionally, this bill will violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by allowing university officials to disclose a student’s immigration status to law enforcement. This bill is frivolous, can violate federal student privacy laws, and only serves the purpose of intimidating immigrant communities. We respectfully ask you to veto House Bill 37.
Similarly, House Bill 452 raises a wide range of concerns. The bill creates serious privacy concerns by publicly posting personal information on the GBI website. In addition, the bill’s language is overly broad and can be used to target immigrants for minor criminal offenses. Lastly, we are concerned that it conflicts with federal terrorism and national security law.
You can sign on as individuals, as well as with your organizations, and we invite you to send it out to community members and groups!
Read the entire letter and find more information here: http://bit.ly/2oEsekf
