Politics & Government

Kennesaw's Commissioner Proposes Illegal Immigrants Study

Cobb Commissioners are thinking about ways to keep tax dollars out of the hands of illegal immigrants.

After a 3-2 vote last month against the IMAGE Certification Program, the Cobb Board of Commissioners is now considering ways to stop county funds from going to illegal immigrants.

Discussion led by District 1 Commissioner Helen Goreham on forming a committee to study illegal immigrants is expected to be on the agenda for the next board meeting.

County Chairman Tim Lee told The Marietta Daily Journal that Goreham's proposal is "in response to the proposed IMAGE code amendment" to make sure the county is doing the right thing and being "effective and efficient" when it comes to this matter.

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Last month, the board voted 3-2 to reject the IMAGE Certification Program, a proposed code change that supporters say would ensure jobs paid for with taxpayer dollars go to legal U.S. citizens.

District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott and District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell co-sponsored the Cobb IMAGE ordinance, and said that "the county can afford neither the time nor embarrassment suffered when the media discovered that illegal aliens working in 2009 were back on the same county job in 2010."

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Under the proposal, contractors who do business with Cobb County would be required to apply for certification through the ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program, commonly referred to as IMAGE.

It's all part of an effort to ensure that employers comply with federal immigration and employment guidelines.


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