FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2017

HB 37, the Anti-Sanctuary Bill, Passes the Georgia State Senate

Contact: Laura Emiko Soltis

Phone: (678) 718-8038
Email: freedomuniversitygeorgia@gmail.com

Atlanta, Georgia.

Early this afternoon, the Georgia Senate passed the notorious "Anti-Sanctuary Bill" which punishes
private universities for declaring themselves sanctuaries for undocumented students.

Many in the Atlanta human rights community expected private universities such as Emory
University, which changed its admissions policy in 2015 to accept undocumented students, to oppose
this discriminatory bill. Instead, Emory and other private universities throughout Georgia remained
silent, and relied on press statements from the Georgia Independent College Association, whose
representatives testified in hearings in the Georgia House of Representatives that they did not object
to the Anti-Sanctuary Bill.

HB 37 now goes to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who can either veto or sign the bill into law.

Mileidi Salinas, a Freedom University student leader, said, "My heart sank when I saw the outcome
of the vote. HB 37 bullies schools into going against their most basic mission of educating young
people. But we will not stand by while this bill threatens our future as students. It is time for all of us
who value education - as students, teachers, and people of conscience - to mobilize and urge
Governor Deal to veto this bill."

Bailey Becker, a student at Georgia Tech, said, "HB 37 is a hate bill. Its purpose is to single out
undocumented students, obstruct equal access to education, and intimidate universities out of
protecting their own students. As citizen students, it is our responsibility to protect the educational
rights of our undocumented peers and fight this bill every step of the way."
In May 2016, in a statement regarding his decision to veto a campus carry bill, Governor Nathan
Deal stated the following: From the early days of our nation and state, colleges have been treated as
sanctuaries of learning To depart from such time-honored protections should require
overwhelming justification.

Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis, Executive Director of Freedom University, said, "I could not agree more
with Governor Deal. Universities must remain sanctuaries of learning. Classrooms must remain safe.
As a teacher of undocumented students, I am here to say that I love my students. They are human
beings who have an inalienable right to education. Shame on all of us for allowing Georgia to target
young people. Shame on all of us for allowing just one student to fear entering a classroom. We hope
Governor Deal will remain true to his commitment to respect the 'time-honored protections' of
universities and veto HB 37."