ATLANTA — Private colleges that don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities would lose state funding for scholarships and research under a new Georgia law.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal signed the measure on Thursday.
The measure is expected to have no immediate impact since no colleges in Georgia have embraced so-called “sanctuary” policies. Students at several metro Atlanta universities did call for changes following President Donald Trump’s election.
Trump issued a series of immigration measures in January and has attempted to withhold federal funding from “sanctuary cities.” A judge blocked the funding order this week.
Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart sponsored the Georgia proposal, saying he wanted to ensure no schools adopt such a policy. Advocacy groups say the law sends an anti-immigrant message.
Lawmakers in Alabama, Indiana and Pennsylvania have introduced similar bills.
