Johnson Denounces Feds’ Lawsuit against Arizona

“As Governor, I will enforce the law if the federal government won’t.”

Senator Eric Johnson, Republican candidate for Governor, today condemned the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit aimed at overturning Arizona’s tough new anti-illegal immigration law.

“With this reprehensible lawsuit, our federal government has gone beyond incompetence or indifference on illegal immigration. They are now working on behalf of lawbreakers and against the will of law abiding citizens,” said Johnson. “As Governor, I will enforce the law if the federal government won’t. I will defend the taxpayers. And I will protect the jobs of American citizens and legal residents of this state.”

Johnson is the only candidate for Governor who has proposed a comprehensive plan to crackdown on illegal immigration, which not only adopts provisions of the Arizona law, but also specifically addresses the drain of illegal immigration on our education and healthcare systems. His detailed plan includes:

· Incentivize local law enforcement’s use of 287(g) and Secure Communities by increasing the per diems the state gives to counties to house prisoners in their jails if they enroll in those programs.

· Require all state law enforcement agencies to participate in 287(g) and Secure Communities. 287(g) and Secure Communities are programs operated by the Department of Homeland Security that allow local law enforcement agencies to establish the citizenship status of those apprehended for crimes.

· Bring the Board of Regents and the Technical College System of Georgia under the same strict citizenship verification process as other state agencies.

· Collect citizenship data upon enrollment in K-12 schools to know the cost of the federal government’s failure to secure our borders and hold them responsible for the cost.

· Collect citizenship data in emergency rooms to know the cost of the federal government’s failure to secure our borders and hold them responsible for the cost.

· Eliminate jobs for illegal immigrants by holding companies that repeatedly hire illegal immigrants responsible.

When Johnson was President Pro Tem of the State Senate in 2005, Georgia passed what was at the time the strongest anti-illegal immigration law in the nation. This law served as a model for many other states, including Arizona. He was also the first candidate to call on Georgia colleges and universities to verify citizenship upon enrollment and has expressed support for Arizona’s new immigration laws.