In this week’s Lawmakers Huddle, GPB’s Donna Lowry spoke with a Republican state legislator who started a Change.org petition urging Congress to reform the immigration system.
Immigration laws have come under increased scrutiny with the arrest and detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement of a 19-year-old college student in Northwest Georgia's Dalton.
A police officer mistakenly pulled over Ximena Arias-Cristobal during a routine traffic stop. She was recently released on bond after weeks in the Stewart Detention Center near Columbus, Ga.
Arias-Cristobal was born in Mexico but has lived in the United States since age 4.
In this week’s Lawmakers Huddle, GPB’s Donna Lowry spoke with a Republican state legislator who started a Change.org petition urging Congress to reform the immigration system.
Donna Lowry: Rep. Kasey Carpenter, you wrote a character letter vouching for Ximena Arias-Cristobal. How do you know her?
Kasey Carpenter: I actually know the gentleman that she dates and we — we attend a church that she also attends. So I knew a lot of people that knew her, more so than I knew her myself. But I knew she was a valued member of society and someone who our — the people in the citizens of my community did not want to see detained and removed.
Donna Lowry: What did you say in the letter?
Kasey Carpenter: I just said that she was an individual of high character, an asset to the community and not a threat or a danger to our community and — and our community would not be the same without her.
Donna Lowry: What are your feelings about her arrest?
Kasey Carpenter: Well, first of all, I think the law enforcement did what the law enforcement has been instructed to do through the law. So I think, you know, obviously the news came out that he pulled over the wrong vehicle, which is a mistake. It's not the law enforcement guy's fault. I think he's following the law. I just think the law's messed up. I think that — I think that they had to detain her. She had to go to Stewart. And it's unfortunate because I don't think — When I — when I told people to vote for Trump and they asked me about this issue, I assured them that they were going to be focusing on hard criminals.
Donna Lowry: Do you feel like you've let them down?
Kasey Carpenter: Yeah, on this issue, absolutely. I wouldn't — I wouldn't recant my vote for Trump. I still think it's the best thing for the country, but on this particular issue, yeah, I feel terrible. I mean, this is — our community's heartbroken over this issue.
Donna Lowry: Have you reached out to the president?
Kasey Carpenter: I have not reached out to the president, no. I put together a petition on Change.org for people to sign, to send to Congress, because that's who's got to act, right? If the executive order's the way we handle things, either side is not going to support that, depending on whoever's in the executive office. I think if Congress, the Republicans — the representatives in the Senate decide to make it something that's bipartisan that both sides will vote for, I think we'll see real change.
Donna Lowry: What kind of response are you getting from other members of your party?
Kasey Carpenter: I think it's mixed emotions. I've heard from some of my colleagues across the state, not to name names, that are seeing this issue play out in their communities. They're seeing kids that are graduating high school, two weeks from graduation, that have a little fender bender out in the parking lot of school, who's getting detained, who's — who's not getting to graduate. These aren't bad people. That's what they're saying is, how do we address this? And it is a federal issue, but I think as a state, we can get behind the fact that we don't want — you know, don't detain the people that aren't doing bad stuff. And I think the feds' law kind of is catered to that, but unfortunately with House Bill 1105, ours does not. So I would hope that my colleagues would revisit that bill this fall — or this, this January.
Donna Lowry: Talk a little about what the law is about.
Kasey Carpenter: Yeah, House Bill 1105 basically said that the police officers have to detain anybody and — for ICE, if they commit a crime, it doesn't discuss the level of crime — it could be a busted tail light. It could be jaywalking. All I'm suggesting is let's make it like the federal law that says if you've committed a felony or a burglary, a higher aggravated misdemeanor, if we can do that. I think that'll curtail some of this people that are not hardened criminals getting detained.
Donna Lowry: Rep. Carpenter has more to say about immigration, including his thoughts on a four-pronged approach to resolving the issue. And Democratic state Rep. Mary Ann Santos, who is of Mexican heritage, shares her thoughts. It’s all in the podcast Battleground Ballot Box, wherever you find your podcasts.
For Lawmakers Huddle, I’m Donna Lowry.
