US bill may stop services for illegal immigrants

As reported by NECN, a US bill currently being debated in the Georgia Legislature may prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a marriage license or accessing water and sewage services in the state.

The bill, which is sponsored by Senator Barry Loudermilk (Republican, Cassville), has received a great deal of attention since it would also prevent illegal immigrants from the Georgia’s public universities and technical schools.

Another provision, which is generating very little discussion, would eliminate foreign passports from the list of ID documents acceptable by government agencies for certain transactions. Under the proposed bill, overseas passports would also have to be presented with federal immigration documents proving the person is in the US legally.

Azadeh Shahshahani, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said that it was very “interesting” that the trustworthiness of overseas passports was being questioned by the state legislature, even though the Transportation and Security Administration had already considered the passport a very secure form of identification.

Perhaps legislators may be unaware of the implications since it seems so innocuous, said Shahshahani. The bill does not say on its surface that undocumented immigrants should not get water or get married, she argued.

Senator Loudermilk said the prospect of preventing undocumented immigrants from getting marriage licenses and accessing water and sewer was unintentional. He said that an amendment would likely remedy this.