ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 421 into law Wednesday, which provides stronger penalties for false reports of shootings and bomb threats at homes, also known as swatting.
The bill was part of a series of legislation Kemp signed, including the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act (House Bill 1105), which requires police and sheriff’s departments to identify illegal aliens who commit crimes and detain them for deportation by federal immigration authorities.
Kemp also signed Senate Bill 37, which reportedly makes it so that applicants would need a certification as a peace officer in order to apply for a sheriff or jailer position in the state of Georgia, and Senate Bill 63, which will require cash bail for 30 additional crimes.
The governor’s actions come in the wake of the death of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia’s campus. The murder suspect, 26-year-old Venezuelan native Jose Ibarra, is not a U.S. citizen.
Kemp emphasized his support for legal immigration while taking a stance against illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the state, saying, “We support legal immigration, but when you got people coming in here illegally, committing crimes, multiple crimes, especially killing someone, we are not going to stand for that.”
