‘Deportation bus’ breaks down, governor candidate still draws a raucous crowd
Published 9:41 am Friday, May 18, 2018
- Sonia Perez, a college student and working mom who was brought to the United States when she was 10, talks with state Sen. Michael Williams, R-Cumming, during his stop in Dalton on Thursday morning in his campaign for governor. Williams has been traveling around the state with a "deportation bus," but the bus didn't make it to Dalton.
DALTON, Ga. — More than 200 protesters gathered on the ruins of the burnt-out Dairy Queen off Market Street on Thursday morning, awaiting the arrival of a “deportation bus” being driven across the state by representatives of the gubernatorial campaign of state Sen. Michael Williams.
But the bus never made it to Whitfield County.
Williams, R-Cumming, eventually did, and the protesters — armed with signs and with chants, songs and some choice expletives — were ready to express their displeasure with the bus that says on its side, “Fill this bus with illegals. Vote Michael Williams,” and on the back, “Danger! Murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters and other criminals on board. Stay back 1,000 feet” and “Follow me to Mexico.”
“I believe what he is doing with this bus is intimidating all of the state and all of this community,” said Maria Salaices, a Dalton paralegal who said she was born in Dalton and the daughter of a native of Mexico. “It sends a message to all of us that they are vilifying Hispanics. What he is staying is let’s take them all back to Mexico no matter where you are from. He is vilifying us as murderers and rapists and child molesters and he passed a line. He incites hate and division and the job of the governor is to unify this state.”
The bus reportedly had engine trouble on I-75 North near Calhoun.
Williams touted Whitfield County as an example for other counties in the state because of the sheriff’s office’s participation in the 287(g) partnership with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The program gives local law enforcement agencies “delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions,” according to ICE.
Williams, who is one of five remaining candidates in Tuesday’s Republican primary in the race to succeed Gov. Nathan Deal — Eddie Hayes and Marc Urbach have reportedly dropped out and are no longer listed on the secretary of state’s website — said all counties in Georgia should be part of the program.
“We can have 159 counties with active ICE agents having access to it whenever they identify someone in this country illegally, committing another crime, they can begin the deportation process immediately so we can send them back home,” said Williams, who started his bus tour on Wednesday in the cities of Clarkston and Decatur, cities that do not participate in the 287(g) program. “It has been a very interesting couple of days. We’re excited about being able to travel the state and talk about an issue that is important to just about every single Georgian that we talk to, and that is illegal immigration. A lot of the candidates out there, they talk about it and talk about defunding sanctuary cities and talk about tracking the people who are in our country illegally. But they don’t really have any solutions of how to solve the problem.”
Whitfield County NAACP President Antoine Simmons was among the protesters and spoke with Williams when Williams exited the recreational vehicle where he was interviewed by the Daily Citizen-News.
“Unjust law and order has been established for centuries here,” Simmons said to Williams. “We are at a point in time where we can right wrongs. You are pushing us back with the law enforcement you are proposing. You are setting us back.”
“First of all, there is no such thing as unjust law and order,” Williams said to a chorus of groans. “There are people in positions of authority that are abusing that authority, but that is not law and order.”
“Jim Crow was not unjust?” Simmons asked.
“That was wrong,” Williams said.
“This is wrong,” Simmons countered, raising his voice.
Many in the Hispanic community in Dalton have expressed concerns about the 287(g) program.
“Doing something wrong can be driving to work without a license,” Salaices said. “Doing something wrong is if you have a broken headlight. Those are not criminals. You can get taken to jail and deported and mom and dad might not come home. This is supposed to be for felons and for serious criminals, not minor infractions.”
Williams said those who argue that the law persecutes Hispanics have no good argument.
“How is upholding the law persecution? That is a completely unfair question,” Williams said. “That is one of the things that really irritates me. When the left cannot argue on merit, they make all these outrageous accusations. If I am breaking the law I am being persecuted? Don’t break the law.”
Heidie Breitmann said she is of Irish descent and her fiancé is from Mexico and is a green card holder. She said the debate over immigration is “near and dear” to her heart.
“This is a message based on hate and racism and we have no room for that in a progressive 2018 America,” Breitmann said. “There is a right side and a wrong side to be on for history. I think we are going back to a polarization that we will look back 50 years from now and see a right side and a wrong side.”
Williams said he welcomes the debate.
“They (the protesters) have every right to be here as I do to share their thoughts and feelings. I want to protect that,” Williams said. “There are people out there that are trying to silence the conservative movement. There are people out there if you don’t agree with their beliefs, they all of a sudden attach horrible names to you. It is their way of trying to take away our First Amendment. I want the country that I grew up with. The country that protects our rights for me as well as for my kids when they grow up. That is why I am out here doing this.”