Activist slams illegal influx

Conservative TV commentator Bay Buchanan made a brief stop at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday to mobilize support for an anti-illegal immigration bill pending before Congress.

Buchanan addressed about 15 people organized by the Christian Coalition of Georgia as part of Team America's "Secure America Now" tour. Buchanan, sister of former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, is urging people to press their U.S. senators to support an immigration enforcement bill that passed the House in December. Buchanan, chairwoman of the Team America political action committee, urged opposition to any efforts to add a guest worker component to the bill in the Senate, which she said is simply an amnesty program in disguise.

Sadie Fields, state chairwoman of the Christian Coalition of Georgia, hosted Buchanan's visit. Fields expressed support for anti-illegal immigration bills pending before the Georgia Legislature, saying illegal immigration is "the No. 1 issue" of concern among the group's membership.

"The vast influx of illegal aliens is having a tremendous impact on our infrastructure, whether it's health care, education — and it all comes back to the family," Fields said. "The taxpayers are paying into the system, and so that comes back to the family, and it bounces off of them, they're picking up the tab."

Several illegal immigration-related bills are pending before the Georgia House and Senate, the majority of which seek to deny taxpayer-provided benefits to anyone who is not in the country legally.

The Christian Coalition is involved in the issue because "we must uphold the rule of law," Fields said, adding, "God is not just love and mercy, he's also a God of justice, and he expects us to be law-abiding citizens."