Thousands of illegal immigrants protesting and refusing to work today didn't stop Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue from signing a bill this afternoon to deny state-based benefits to illegals and require companies with state contracts to verify legal status of their employees.
At the signing ceremony, Perdue insisted that the bill is not "anti-immigrant" and said, "We simply believe that everyone who lives in our state needs to abide by our laws."
The law, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, is scheduled to take effect in 2007 and will also require police to find out if arrested persons face deportation charges. While recipients of Medicare and food stamps must prove they have legal status, children in kindergarten through 12th grade will still be eligible to receive emergency medical care and education.
