Ga. Latinos grapple with impact of immigration crackdown
ATLANTA, Ga. - There are an estimated 1.1 million Latinos in Georgia — a group that adds billions to the state economy each year and has become a powerful voting bloc.
One in four new businesses in Georgia are Latino-owned.
“We have a dynamic community of Latino entrepreneurs and business owners that significantly contribute to a thriving economy in Georgia,” said Stefanie Zaenker with the group Libre Initiative. “At the end of the day, we’re all Georgians and we’re all Americans. We want safe communities and a thriving Georgia economy.”
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But it’s hard to ignore the impact increased immigration crackdowns are having on the community, even those here legally. According to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, some 7,400 arrests have been made since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Reports of coordinated efforts to detain undocumented migrants in metro Atlanta sent shockwaves through the immigrant community, leaving some people – even some legal immigrants – wondering what happens next.
State Rep. Reynaldo Martinez, R-Loganville, has been fielding questions from fellow of the Hispanic community about the raids.
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“Not to worry,” Martinez said he tells them. “Keep going to church, keep working hard, keep contributing to our state. Do not worry about that. If you know you’re doing something right, don’t worry about that.”
But the raids do seem to be having an impact on people, even those here legally.
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Jefferson Dominguez, who works with the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association, said some of his Hispanic employees stopped showing up to work when the raids started happening.
“Yes, I have to it that there are some people that are afraid because of misinformation that they see on some platforms which is not true,” he said. “Whoever is working here with respect, paying taxes, and do great things for this country, they should stay. We just want to get out the bad people that came here to do bad things. We don’t want the bad people.”
“As a Latino, I don’t want bad Latinos here. I want the good, hard workers that make this great country.”
S.C. attorney general urges sheriffs to partner with ICE
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson sent a letter to the state’s sheriffs encouraging them to work with federal agents performing immigration enforcement actions.
The ICE raids have focused on undocumented people who don’t have legal status in the country or who have committed crimes.
Martinez said some of his Hispanic constituents have expressed fear over the presence of some undocumented people in their neighborhoods.
“We’re trying to get rid of the bad apples that are here illegally, but not only that, they’re causing havoc to our community,” he said. “What I tell the Hispanic community is that you have to focus on what the Trump istration is saying. They want to get rid of the bad apples first.”
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