Republican mayor in the South becomes unlikely advocate for immigrants

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Surprising ally in the fight against Georgia's draconian anti-immigrant law. Republican mayor of Uvalda, Ga., says: "When I became mayor, I decided I was going to be the mayor for everybody, including people who have no voice otherwise."

Uvalda, Georgia (CNN) -- Paul Bridges leans toward his desk, picks up the phone and punches in a number with the fast, laser focus of a man on a mission. The mayor of this tiny town in South Georgia is ready for battle -- and looking for a new weapon.

"I need some help getting a website," he said, spelling out the words of the domain name he wants for a site promoting immigration reform.

The man on the other end says he'll try to help. But that isn't enough for Bridges.

"I really don't know what your beliefs are on this issue," he said, "but I'm going to persuade you."

Bridges wants the federal government to come up with a solution that gives the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States a chance to work here legally.
- Source: CNN, 6/28/2011

More:
Why I'm suing Georgia over immigration law
SPLC, Allied Groups Sue Georgia to Stop Controversial Immigration Law
Uvalda, GA Mayor Paul Bridges convenes an immigration reform roundtable

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1. GA Mayor Takes Stand Against Harmful Policy

More on this from Reform Immigration for America:

This week Paul Bridges, Mayor of Uvalda, GA announced he was joining forces with the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among other organizations, to bring suit against the state of Georgia. That’s right a mayor of a town in Georgia is suing his own state.

What could possibly make a conservative Republican elected official in Georgia to partner with the ACLU and Souther Poverty Law Center? A class-action law suit aimed to block his state’s new immigration enforcement law, House Bill 87, from going into effect July 1.

Mayor Bridges knows that this law will not help fix our broken immigration system and believes that it will do more harm than good. The law will have huge consequences on the families and businesses in Uvalda, crippling the farming community of this small town. Not only will this discriminatory law profile spanish immigrants, but it will make criminal “anyone who knowingly harbors or transports an undocumented immigrant.”