Joe Edlemon, chairman of the Columbia County GOP, said President Joe Biden’s open border policies are only intended to benefit his campaign and are not keeping the nation and its citizens safe.
“Our legislators bear the responsibility of keeping our lawful citizens safe and our local, state and national borders sovereign,” Edlemon told East Central Georgia News. “Let’s be clear Biden’s open border policy, and zero vetting of criminal aliens, is meant for one thing; increase the voter rolls!”
“In GA our legislators can act NOW, by holding ‘sanctuary’ cities like Athens accountable, by changing legislation to prevent non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) from trafficking humans throughout our state and by enacting stricter voter registration laws that prevent illegal aliens from registering to vote,” he said.
61% of Georgia voters think President Joe Biden’s border policies are to blame for crimes like an illegal alien’s February 22 murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
That’s according to a new poll of Georgia voters released by the League of American Workers (LAW).
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University, was found murdered on February 22, 2024, after going for a jog at the University of Georgia campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, was charged in her murder. Riley had been killed by blunt force trauma to the head.
Ibarra had previously been arrested by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on September 8, 2022 for entering the U.S. illegally near El Paso, Texas. He was then released pending adjudication of his claim for “asylum.”
He was then arrested again in August 2023 by the New York Police Department and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child and a motor vehicle license violation.
Almost half, 46%, of Georgia voters said Biden policies bear a “great deal” of responsibility for crimes such as Riley’s murder by an illegal alien, while 15% said these policies bear “some” responsibility.
Among voters who have heard a “great deal” or some about the Riley case, 68% blame Biden administration policies.
During his State of the Union address on March 7, Biden referred to Laken Riley as “Lincoln Riley” after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) shouted “Say her name!” to the president.
Lincoln Riley is the 40-year-old, male, head football coach of the University of Southern California football team.
The U.S. House passed the “Laken Riley Act” on March 7 with a vote of 251-170. The bill would require the detention and deportment of illegal aliens charged with theft.
Every Republican and 37 Democrats supported the measure, while 170 Democrats voted against it. Every Democrat Georgia member of the U.S. House voted against the act.
The bill is now pending in the U.S. Senate.
The LAW poll also found that former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by ten points among Georgia voters in the 2024 race for the White House.
The survey was conducted among 600 likely Georgia voters on May 1-4, 2024 by North Star Public Opinion Research.
Founded in 2022 by political strategist and commentator Steve Cortes, LAW conducts research and develops proposals on public policies impacting American workers and the economy.
The Columbia County GOP consists of thirteen members, including the Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and other members. The previous chairman was Debbie McCord. Current chairman Joe Edlemon will serve until his term expires in 2025.
