Just prior to this week’s primary election, The Marietta Daily Journal’s Around Town section zeroed in on a video made by Georgia State Representative Gabriel Sanchez before publishing an utterly tone deaf release by another representative, republican Ginny Ehrhart.
In the video Rep. Sanchez utilizes the online platform he spent years cultivating to provide resources to the immigrant community under attack by President Donald Trump and his far-right supporters.
What was interesting about the framing of the article, aside from publishing the snobbish comments from a Cobb elitist, was its mention of socialists and a year-old primary battle before getting to the point of Sanchez’s video.
“For my undocumented brothers and sisters, please make sure you know your rights,” he said in the video. “You do not have to answer the door or let ICE into a business or private property, and you have to ask them for a warrant signed by a judge, not signed by an ICE agent, signed by a judge, and make sure to ask for an attorney. Don’t answer any questions, and you have the right to remain silent.”
Civil Rights and Human Rights.
That’s what Ehrhart was so deeply offended by. The idea that migrants were possibly learning about their rights upset her so much she took a break from gerrymandering school children to weigh in.
With shame nowhere to be found, the former chef dished up stale talking points with a side of arguments that immediately failed the smell test.
She began by invoking the name of the University of a Georgia student who was killed last year. The man accused of the crime is an undocumented migrant, giving the GOP a political prop to justify their cruel treatment of immigrants.
We will not mention the young woman’s name here out of respect for her family’s wishes to not politicize her death.
Keeping in lockstep with her president, Ehrhart ignored the “please stop,” and pushed forward.
She baselessly accused Rep. Sanchez of wanting to aid and abet a man accused of homicide, declaring the Democrat lawmaker of violating his oath of office. Never mind her own back room dealings with republicans on the Cobb Board of Education.
While we’re sure Ms. Ehrhart is pleased with her comments, but it might do her good to educate herself on how immigrants keep the Georgia economy afloat, the rights they have while they are in our country, and maybe if she’s feeling generous, dabble in the definition of empathy.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t inform the MDJ, the public, and West Cobb’s country club queen that we support the message Rep. Sanchez shared on his platform. Many of our members have mobilized to provide written resources to the migrant community. A person’s existence is not illegal, and they have rights regardless of their immigration status.
The virtue signaling from Ehrhart and other republicans about migrants being violent criminals is nothing more than a lie. Only 3.3% of immigrants in the United States are undocumented and research has shown that as the number of migrants rises, the crime rate has dropped.
This narrative only exists because wealthy elite republicans need a scapegoat to cover for their own inadequacies. They make these decisions while sitting in comfort while enjoying the fruits of immigrant labor without lifting a finger themselves.