Cobb County Commission Rejects Immigration Plan for County Contractors
Cobb County commissioners rejected a plan Tuesday to require anyone doing business with the county to apply to a federal program aimed at keeping companies from hiring illegal immigrants.
County commissioners voted 3 to 2 against a proposal that would have required those doing business with the county to apply to the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program or IMAGE. The County already applied to take part in IMAGE, but the measure would have taken it a step further. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell voted in favor of the plan.
“I believe it’s important to ensure that we are not using taxpayer money for contracts in Cobb County that use illegal workers.”
Chairman Tim Lee opposed the plan saying it was too broad and burdensome for companies.
“If I’m issuing a purchase order I don’t want to have to go through the legal system to find out if that person falls under an ordinance, and that’s what this ordinance required me to do.”
Under IMAGE, companies would have to submit to an I-9 audit. I-9 forms are used to help companies verify the legality of their employees. Companies would also receive federal training and would have to enroll in the E-verify program, which is already required under state law. The plan comes after it was discovered that a subcontractor hired Illegal immigrants to help build a new Cobb courthouse in 2010.
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
Related
Top Stories
