A Look Back and A Glimpse Forward: An Overview of Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Democratic Bills Introduced in Georgia in 2025
Published by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and Thông Phan, August 2025.
At a time when our immigrant communities and democratic ideals are under attack, we see it necessary to identify the threats to empower people to speak up. Our report sheds light on eight deeply harmful bills introduced by Georgia’s legislature that threaten our core values of pragmatism, equal opportunity and fair treatment, full democratic participation, safety for all, and humanity. These bills not only target and endanger immigrant communities but they also erode at the freedom and safety of all Georgians. In anticipation of other possible legislative attacks, the report also takes a look at legislation from the federal government and in other states that we would fight if they were to make their way to Georgia.
By affirming these values and exposing the harmful consequences of these polices, we aim to equip community members and advocates with the knowledge to resist attacks on our rights and advocate for a more just and inclusive Georgia.
Key threats identified in the report include:
Preventing undocumented high school students from enrolling in college level courses.
Endangering the freedom and safety of immigrant communities.
Coercing cooperation with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (I.C.E.)
Hamstringing the functions of local governments with civil complaints and lawsuits.
Requiring the removal of public servants for noncompliance with I.C.E.
Violating certain detained immigrants’ privacy with compulsory DNA collection.
Restricting access to voting.
Clamping down on the free speech and right to assembly by civil organizations.
Withholding college students’ scholarships for exercising their right to free speech