Georgia HS Students Face Suspension For Protesting Anti-Immigrant Law

Students from a Georgia high school face suspension after participating in a pro-immigration demonstration. According to cbsAtlanta.com, the kids left their classrooms and took to the streets to protest the state’s new immigration law, HB87, that mimics Arizona’s SB1070 and was signed by Governor Nathan Deal.

The demosntration at Douglas County High School is the second such demonstration in as many weeks – the first one occurred at Lithia Springs High School where 100 students were suspended. School policy enables suspension for skipping school, for any reason.

The (Douglas County HS) group included some students brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents when they were young.

“I was brought here when I was 6 years old from Mexico,” said student Jorge Lopez. “I was brought here across the desert.”

The students involved say they are not concerned with the punishment, but the parents see things a little differently.

Tamara Hernandez’s son was one of those students. She said it’s unfair for the school district to tarnish the kids’ school records over something like this.

“The kids just want to be heard,” said Hernandez. “A lot of these kids are worried every day about their parents, what’s going to happen to them, where are they going to go.”

When he signed the bill into law Governor Deal said undocumented immigration costs the State of Georgia $2 billion a year, including costs to educate undocumented children.

There’s no word, as yet, about the punishment for the students.

Follow Victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda

[Photo by : alamosbasement]