On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Georgia Senate passed a bill that would allow local government employees and officials in “sanctuary cities” to be held civilly liable for crimes committed by immigrants without permanent legal status.
This bill will increase pressure on undocumented immigrants by discouraging sanctuary policies, which are meant to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. This could lead to stricter local enforcement and make it harder for immigrants without legal status to find protection in certain cities.
On the flip side, for local government authorities, they are now at risk of being sued if an undocumented immigrant commits a crime. So, they’d be discouraged from supporting sanctuary policies because of the legal consequences.