Latino Community Fund Georgia Executive Director and Founder Gigi Pedraza speaks at a Latino Day event near the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Latino advocates in Georgia are calling on their state lawmakers to create equal opportunities for the people of their community.
The Latino Community Fund of Georgia, GALEO, partner organizations and Latino residents gathered in Liberty Plaza, across the street from the Georgia State Capitol Wednesday morning.
After breakfast, some speakers and a group photo, about 200 people received either a gold or orange star, indicating they’d head either to the Senate or House of Representatives to talk to lawmakers.
Wednesday’s events commemorating Latino Day at the State Capitol comes not long after Immigration and Customs Enforcement made several highly publicized arrests in Georgia, prompting large pro-immigration demonstrations.
However, LCF Executive Director Gigi Pedraza emphasized that this event wasn’t a protest but a celebration of Latino culture and achievements. Pedraza said her community isn’t asking for anything extreme.
“What we want is access to health care. We want access to quality K-12 education. We want to be able for our kids to pursue their educational aspirations and go to college or technical school or vocational school or be able to incorporate businesses and get licenses,” she said.
Moreover, Pedraza called for protections for Latino workers, who she said helped build up the state’s poultry, agriculture and carpet industries but are often taken advantage of or become victims of scams.
An LCF report released last year showed Latinos in Georgia are paid 77 cents to the dollar compared to white Georgians. The report found that most Latinos participate in Georgia’s workforce — 91% of Latino households report income — though nearly one in five Latinos live in poverty.
The same report showed that Latino buying power in Georgia is expected to reach over $44 billion by 2026.
Among the speakers at Latino Day were Democratic State Sen. Jason Esteves and freshman Democratic State Senator Rashaun Kemp, who shared that he didn’t learn he had Mexican heritage until he was an adult.
Kemp said Georgia Latinos have worked hard toward a better future, which “has helped our state maintain its status as the number one state to do business.”
“So I hope that when the governor thinks about who is helping drive our state’s economy, he remembers the Latinos in our community,” Kemp said.
Democratic State Sen. Rashaun Kemp speaks at a Latino Day event near the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia Republicans and Gov. Brian Kemp — no relation to the Senator — have supported measures some view as dangerous to the Latino community, like the Laken Riley Act, which was recently signed into law by President Donald Trump. It’s named for the Georgia nursing student who was murdered by a Venezuelan migrant who entered the U.S. illegally.
Under the new law, federal officials will be required to detain any migrant arrested or charged with certain crimes, like shoplifting. Supporters say it will help prevent future tragedies like what happened to Riley and help with border security. Opponents say it threatens due process rights for migrants.
Kyle Gomez-Leineweber is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for GALEO.
“The murder of Laken Riley is a tragedy, and I don’t know of anyone who believes otherwise,” Gomez-Leineweber said.
But he said the new law may discourage Latinos from contacting law enforcement when they’re victims of crimes, “making law enforcement less effective and our communities less safe.”
Gomez-Leineweber said two bills concern his group at this point in the state legislative session.
The first is Senate Bill 21, which would forfeit a jurisdiction’s sovereign immunity if it adopts a sanctuary policy — meaning the jurisdiction loses its protection from being sued by anyone in civil court. There’s no absolute definition of a sanctuary policy, but it generally refers to when a local government does not comply with federal immigration officials. So-called “sanctuary cities” have been illegal in Georgia since 2009.
The second is House Bill 18, which would create a residency requirement for public school students who want to access dual enrollment programs.
Gomez-Leineweber said GALEO is also working with several legislators on bills that would positively impact the Latino community. However, he said most are not ready to be introduced yet.
“There are a lot of bills we are worried about every year,” said Pedraza. “And I want to believe that folks just don’t have the information on what the impact of those bills will be in the communities they represent.”
Mostly, Pedraza wants Latinos to get the same opportunities as all Georgians.
“We don’t want to be pigeonholed into a stereotype,” Pedraza said.
The most recent Census shows more than 1 million Latinos live in Georgia, and that population is young and growing. Three in five are U.S. citizens, and about half of them are registered to vote, said Pedraza.
“There is no Georgia agenda without a Latino agenda, because Georgia depends on our work on our brains and our talent,” she said.
She wants lawmakers to recognize that in their decision-making this session.
