Georgia’s GOP Gov. Kemp and state Legislature aiding, abetting illegal immigration

By Joe Guzzardi, syndicated columnist

In Georgia, in recent memory solidly red, then gradually purple, and today increasingly blue, even the last vestiges of Republican leadership have embraced policies that reward illegal immigration. GOP Governor Brian Kemp and the GOP-led state Legislature have given their blessing to the taxpayer funded Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), couched as a workplace development initiative. Presented as a program that would “upskill” employees for employers who would depend on the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) for training, which could then pay the employer $50,000 upon completion of his employee’s instruction.

The TCSG grandiosely identifies RAP as a robust comprehensive training model that helps employers transform and develop entry-level employees into high-skilled talent. RAPs, the flattering narrative continues, “serve[s] as a strategy for building talent pipelines and retaining skilled employees.” RAP is part of and funded by the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) program, which doesn’t exclude illegal aliens, a fact that interested parties must dig deep to discover.

In November 2022, Kemp’s office distributed a media release that laid out HDCI’s origins: “During the 2022 legislative session, Governor Kemp and lawmakers partnered to pass SB 379, representing a historic investment in apprenticeships in Georgia through the HDCI Program. The HDCI Program awards up to $50,000 in funding to Georgia businesses to upskill workers through registered apprenticeships and increase skilled talent within Georgia’s high-demand industries.”

Curious about RAP, HDCI, and what the flowery language about the programs might be obscuring, the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society’s founder D.A. King sent off a volley of emails questioning whether illegal aliens and/or H-1B visa workers could be included in RAP.

King received these replies. In her response to King’s inquiry, Kimberly Burgess, Apprenticeship Coordinator at TCSG’s Coastal Pines Technical College wrote “Undocumented immigrants can participate in RAP. ” And from Danny Mitchell, HDCI program manager in TCSG’s Office of Workforce Development, “H1B workers [whose visas are classified as temporary] are participating in the RAP/HDCI program.”

In his ongoing effort to find clarification on illegal aliens eligibility, King also sent a request for comment to Gov. Kemp’s office: “…is there a provision in state law created by 2022’s SB 379 that prevents illegal alien employers and employees similar to the subjects of this press release by the U.S. Attorney in Georgia’s Southern District from accessing the taxpayer-funded apprenticeship program on any level?” After a “D.A., call us back…” voicemail from Kemp’s then-Executive Counsel, David Dove, King eventually received a non-answer from Garrison Douglas, Kemp’s Press Secretary, in the form of a Twitter/X message that included a link to a code section (OCGA 50-36-1) that he claimed “should answer” his question. However, Douglas’ answer did not address the query.

The irony is that, with Georgia’s state officials’ blessing, taxpayers fund programs that prepare illegal immigrants for good, white-collar jobs even though hiring, aiding and abetting illegal immigrants which the programs do is a federal crime.

Kemp will term out in 2026, and he aspires to higher office with a probable Senate bid against incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff and a potential 2028 presidential bid. One media account summed up Kemp’s slick political skills: “Kemp plays politics like a master does chess – always several moves ahead. He has demonstrated a shrewdness over the past five years that runs contrary to his simple country boy persona, and he has built a brand as a next generation conservative.”

But if immigration remains voters’ key concern, Kemp will be vulnerable to a true enforcement primary challenger. Voters will have to cut through Kemp’s smoke and mirrors agenda that claims that he’s tough on illegal immigration when the truth is, as RAP proves, he rewards it.

Joe Guzzardi is an Institute for Sound Public Policy analyst who has been writing about immigration for more than 30 years.