I’ve been highly critical — and will continue to be! — of the various efforts in Georgia to tackle the problem of illegal immigration in ways that are counterproductive.
From the AJC’s Immigration policy likely at heart of Chester Brown issue:
Chester Brown, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive lineman from Hinesville, committed to the Bulldogs in July, but he confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and several other media outlets late Monday night that he was withdrawing his UGA commitment “for personal reasons,†declining to elaborate.
However, a variety of people with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the AJC on Tuesday that Brown’s change of heart was because his admissions application to UGA was rejected because of a controversial Board of Regents policy that was adopted in October 2010. [ . . . ]
Brown’s mother insists that her son was born in the United States, which would make him a citizen, but Brown may not have been able to provide documentation to that effect.[ . . .]
Brown’s father, Siliga, and his mother, Ifo, moved to Long Beach, Calif., from Samoa in the mid-1990s for financial reasons, according to published reports. They fled crime and gang activity in 2004 and joined an uncle, retired from the U.S. Army, in Hinesville in 2004.
There is much more in the AJC piece about the policy issues involved here.
If all the facts here pan out, then Brown is exactly the type of “illegal” citizen who came here at an age too young to be held responsible for his actions. Like others in similar situations, I’m sure he’d love to be documented and it seems extremely likely that he would be a solid citizen of this country. And a great lineman for UGA.