King Keeps Lawmakers in Hot Seat Over Immigration

ELLIJAY, Ga – Immigration enforcement proponent D.A. King raised concerns about the future of federal program 287(g) and Governor Brian Kemp’s dedication to ending illegal immigration in Georgia.

King started by highlighting his better part of two decades focused on the issues of illegal immigration. What’s more, he serves as President and Founder of the Dustin Inman Society, a 501(c)(4). This nonprofit was formed in 2005 in honor of Dustin Inman who died after Gonzalo Harrell-Gonzalez, a Mexican national rear-ended the vehicle of Billy and Kathy Inman while stopped at a traffic light in Ellijay. Harrell-Gonzalez would later flee the country after his recovery from a local hospital. Injuries sustained from Billy and Kathy Inman were life-altering enough that they were unable to attend their son’s funeral.

Dustin’s Father would spend his remaining years advocating for tougher immigration policies while caring for his wife until his death of a heart attack on June 7, 2019.

One of King’s concerns is the fate of the federal program 287(g), which was designed to help local law enforcement ID, process, and expedite the removal of aliens with criminal or pending charges. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security acknowledges the program has contributed to over nine hundred assault convictions and nearly 40 individuals convicted of homicide, just in 2020 alone. King believes the Biden Administration will take a blanket amnesty approach that threatens the program. Currently, six agencies in Georgia use the 287(g) program.

Governor Brian Kemp’s in King’s crosshairs as well for his alleged failed campaign promise on immigration. With heightened awareness on the economy, social justice, and the pandemic, King says, “he [Kemp] has betrayed them” on the issue of immigration enforcement. While Kemp was vocal about the issue during his 2018 bid for Governor, Kemp failed to mention immigration in his State of the State Address to legislators on January 13 of this year.

Consequently, King vows to continue putting pressure on lawmakers to ensure immigration enforcement policy isn’t lost in the conversation, especially as we enter the 2022 race for Governor.