Board of Regents can’t alter immigration policy for one Bulldog
Georgia recruit Chester Brown (left) had scholarship hopes derailed by the state's policy on illegal immigrants and undocumented students. (Photo by 247Sports.com)
Don Balfour picked up the phone and said the first thing that you would expect when a Georgia state senator gets a phone call from a sportswriter.
“I don’t normally talk to sportswriters,” he said.
To which I responded that I don’t normally talk to politicians, unless you count commissioners, owners, general managers, coaches, some athletes, their agents, public-relations directors … on second thought, never mind.
Sports and politics overlapped this week. Chester Brown, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound mountain of a teenager, was forced to withdraw his commitment to the Georgia football team because of an immigration issue.
This is where things get kind of screwy. Brown is the son of Samoan immigrants. His mother says Brown was born in the United States, not Samoa, and is a citizen, but the family apparently doesn’t have the proper documentation to prove it. This precludes him from accepting a scholarship from UGA, given the Board of Regents’ tough immigration policy that was passed in July 2011 in the wake of a case involving a Kennesaw State student, Jessica Colotl (who erroneously received in-state tuition, despite being an illegal immigrant).
It’s not my intention to turn this into a column on the illegal-immigration problem in the United States, but I think we can all agree that when the Board of Regents declared that undocumented students and illegal immigrants can’t take away seats from academically qualified Georgia students, nobody figured it would affect the Georgia football team.
Immigration policies are intended to keep the nation safe and protect taxpayers, not wreck pass protection against the Alabama defense.
Balfour is one of the strongest proponents of the Board of Regents’ immigration policy. He acknowledged, “Never in a million years did any of us think this would affect a football team.”
But this case doesn’t cause him to rethink things. Another supporter of the policy, Georgia alum and Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, agrees.
Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) said, "My blood is red and black," but he doesn't second-guess the immigration policy. (Bob Andres/AJC)
“You can’t get into the business of making laws tailored to individuals,” Ehrhart said. “I went to school at Georgia. I graduated from there in 1980. My blood is red and black. I love going to football games. But does it make me not want to enact certain [policies]? No.”
So he’ll tell that to the fans who are sitting next to him in Sanford Stadium?
“Oh yeah, thanks a lot. Am I going to wear a T-shirt [advertising it]? No. There’s no self-preservation in that.”
Brown is an unfortunate byproduct of the illegal-immigrant issue. It’s hard not to feel for the kid. He couldn’t control where he was born or whom he was born to.
He went to school in Hinesville after relocating with his family from Long Beach, Calif., in 2004. He accumulated a 3.2 grade-point average and obviously has excelled on the football field. When he showed up at Georgia’s “Dawg Night,” a summer prospect camp, he looked like manna from heaven for a program with offensive line problems.
Brown was offered a scholarship on the spot. Brown gave his commitment, and he was so excited that he had the date, July 15, 2011, tattooed on his arm.
But now there’s some question where he’s from and whether he can prove it. Ironically, Balfour said, it would be easy for Brown to get into UGA if he wasn’t a U.S. citizen because then he would need only apply for a student visa. His claim of being a U.S. citizen mandates he have proper documentation. For unknown reasons, that has not been supplied by the family. (Brown can still attend a school in a state with less-restrictive policies and is looking at Syracuse, Central Florida and Tulane.)
Here’s what shouldn’t be lost in all of this: A law is a law (or in this case, a policy is a policy). Any Georgia fan, conservative or liberal, who has long supported tougher immigration laws can’t suddenly claim their beloved Bulldogs are being wronged.
“I definitely feel bad for the kid,” Balfour said. “I hate that he’s caught in the middle of this.”
Then he added, tongue-in-cheek, the obligatory southern college football conspiracy theory.
“I think this policy must’ve been started by someone from Georgia Tech,” he joked.
By Jeff Schultz
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240 comments Add your comment
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
5:57 pm
ARdawg because HE says he doesn’t have documentation to prove either US or Western Samoan birth because he was born in the US.
If he was Illegal here his parents will have to leave GA possibly & that is why he is considering other states to play ball and his parents to move.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
5:58 pm
Steve, the result of applying the law in this case only keeps him from accepting a scholarship at UGA where he would be chosen over a citizen for an open spot. If he applies to another school in the state that HAS OPENINGS, then he would not be denied. There is nothing xenophobic about that. You just seem to want to put UGA football over the better interests of the school as a whole and the actual US citizen who would be deprived of a chance to attend UGA in his stead.
bo
January 26th, 2012
5:59 pm
interesting point ARdawg. Foreigners can get sports scholarships to GA colleges can’t they?
Super Size That What??
January 26th, 2012
5:59 pm
I don’t know what history books you were studying at TECH but the United States is NOT a nation made up of LEGAL Immigrants. I bet you think this country was free for the taking too, right? Everyone that moved to this country from elsewhere when it was inhabited by Native Americans (get it, Native to this land we call the United States) is an Illegal Immigrant.
SuperB
January 26th, 2012
6:01 pm
All of these Redneck Georgia politicians, including the ones that miracuously managed to graduate from UGA need to get their lazy butts off the GOP Immigration Bandwagon and see– see if Chester was born in the US. A hospital MUST have a record of his birth. Just saying you love UGA is not enough– prove it!
PS: these are probably the same geniuses that still think Obama was not born in Hawaii.
Steve
January 26th, 2012
6:01 pm
Supersize:
“You just seem to want to put UGA football over the better interests of the school as a whole and the actual US citizen who would be deprived of a chance to attend UGA in his stead.”
Now, go and Google “Xenophobe”
Thanks for proving my point.
SuperB
January 26th, 2012
6:03 pm
Check the hospital he was born in– they must have a record of his birth.
Let's Be Honest
January 26th, 2012
6:04 pm
SMFH… Repubs shooting themselves in the foot. AGAIN.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Steve, I didn’t prove whatever point you thought you made at all. The law is the law, whether we agree with it or not.
Observer
January 26th, 2012
6:07 pm
The essence of self deportation, in a sense. No need to “round ‘em up” as Newt and other liberals, rinos and such say.
Build the fence, enforce laws with e-verify, cut off the gravy, and they will go home.
And then Americans will have more jobs, pay rates will increase, and the underclass in America will become employed once again and enjoy upward mobility.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:09 pm
Obviously the European colonists stole this land from the natives who lived here before they came. But, since the US Constitution was written, the vast majority of immigrants who subsequently came to this country and settled here came here legally and followed legal the legal path to citizenship. That has always been the law, still is the law, and hopefully always will be the law. And, by the way, that is no different than the laws in other civilized countries on this earth too.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:12 pm
Steve, by the way, it is you UGA fans who are always claiming that Tech is loaded with foreign students, as if that is something bad. Those UGA fans are the xenophobes. Besides, the percentage of foreign students in this year’s freshman class was higher at UGA than at Tech.
Super Size That What??
January 26th, 2012
6:17 pm
Acknowledgment of theft….sensible answer, I’m satisfied.
Thank you sir!
Super Size That What??
January 26th, 2012
6:18 pm
…or ma’am, whichever you are.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:21 pm
I would love for Chester’s Mom & Dad to walk in the doors of the company you work at and a[[ly for your job. He or she gets your or your wife’s job and you are unemployed in this JOB market. I just bet you would LOVE the illegals then for sure.
Paul in NH
January 26th, 2012
6:21 pm
Observer
January 26th, 2012
6:07 pm
The essence of self deportation, in a sense. No need to “round ‘em up” as Newt and other liberals, rinos and such say.
Build the fence, enforce laws with e-verify, cut off the gravy, and they will go home.
And then Americans will have more jobs, pay rates will increase, and the underclass in America will become employed once again and enjoy upward mobility.
————-
Wow – who knew that it is so simple to solve the illegal immigration problem or that unemployment and poverty in America are all the fault of illegal immigrants?
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:22 pm
APPLY sorry. even a Dwag can could get the point.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
PAUL in RDU now NH you know there is a 1 sentence solution for all of Americas problems. HAHAHA but you do know we are trying to make people follow the LAWS.
Observer (The Real Observer)
January 26th, 2012
6:24 pm
Let the record state that the previous comment posted by Observer was done so by an actual imposter.
I would never post something with such a moronic view.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:25 pm
@ Supe Size That What?? I assume that was sincere, but you don’t have to call me “sir”. Anyway, I’m happy that my response was satisfactory to you. I don’t hate immigrants, but I do believe in the law, and I do recognize how this country came into being to begin with.
@ Super Size
January 26th, 2012
6:32 pm
You obviously would rather apply your own definition to fit your screwed up agenda. Your statement of “facts” regarding the “cesspool” that Sanford Stadium is built over is simply wrong – try Tanyard Creek which feeds the Oconee.
ARdawg
January 26th, 2012
6:36 pm
Bo…Yes they can. I’ve no doubt the kid can attend UGA and working within the framework of the law and UGA policies. It’s slow and might cost him sometime (at this point) but certainly can be done.
POAD…Quit yer trolling. HE wouldn’t be the first kid that found himself in similar circumstance. Immigration officials can and often do make provisions. Not because HE is a football player or because it is UGA but, because HE likely qualifies as a citizen and has rights.
Sid
January 26th, 2012
6:39 pm
His parents can’t provide a birth certificate? Hell, even Obama has one of those albeit it questionable.
CRO-MAGNON MAN
January 26th, 2012
6:40 pm
YEA, A LAW IS A LAW UNTIL IT AFFECTS SOMEONE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOU….IT’S EASY WHEN IT DOESN’T AFFECT YOU….THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE AND COULD BE FIXED….HOW STUPID IS THIS IN THE YEAR 2012….
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:42 pm
ARdwag no TROLLING just the new Ga Policy. Since he isn’t the First PLEASE put some FACTS on who the others are.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:45 pm
@ @ Super Size, historically, the creek was said, whether correctly or incorrectly (I only know what I have read) to have been used for raw sewerage, and that is the reason for the evolution of the term cesspool of the south. I didn’t make it up. Whether the perception was originally accurate or not, I don’t know; that goes WAY WAY back. But it is a perception that Tech students at the time utilized in coming up with the nickname. So I am not applying my definition to anything. It is a term, nickname, or whatever that came into being back at the time Sanford Stadium, or whatever it was called then, was first used as a football playing field.
Mountain Dawg
January 26th, 2012
6:50 pm
Hey 5150, why don’t you go fondle CPJ’s MOOBS for a while and give us all a break.
Supersize that order, mutt
January 26th, 2012
6:51 pm
Mountain Dawg, you sure seem obsessed with another man’s anatomy. Are you that hard up up in the mountains?
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:52 pm
ARdwag start here for a solution. HAHAAH
Alpha
January 26th, 2012
6:54 pm
5150 UOAD ….. You are a constant source of embarassment and you have the I.Q. of a flower.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:55 pm
CHESTER if you really are that smart TRY TECH. Get an Education you can use in 5 years when you don’t make the NFL. Tech isn’t FULL and we have room for you Unlike the Drunk Fake Blonde White Girls College & Plantation of Georgia.
Try looking here………How to find your birth ce
If you want to find information concerning birth certificates, it may be obtained at the Vital
Vital Statistics Office
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799
011-684-633-1405 (voice)
011-684-633-7910 (fax)
If you want a copy of your birth certificate you need to write the Vital Statistics Office a request letter with the following enclosed.
The request for a birth certificate with your name and your parents name.
A copy of a CURRENTLY VALID STATE ID such as a currently valid drivers licence.
A five dollar MONEY ORDER (no cash and no personal checks) payable to the American Samoa Government.
That should do it.
Note: Since this is a US Territory regular US postal rates apply. If you are in a hurry send the letter via “PRIORITY MAIL.” DO NOT send it via EXPRESS MAIL as there are only two flights in here a week; Monday and Friday nights, and thus it will be no faster than PRIORITY.
Eaassyy
January 26th, 2012
6:56 pm
Congrats on having an opinion on immigration, the history of Sanford stadium, and UGA football in general.
You just went up one spot on the top 50 ajc internet trolls.
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
6:58 pm
Can’t we all just get along?
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:58 pm
@ Super Size………Sanford was filled with raw sewage so how did that happen?
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
6:59 pm
48 are you ready for Danica to go all Go DADDY on Johnson? LOL
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:03 pm
Lol, I watched DW induction into the NASCAR hall of fame the other night. I like DW but he would not shut up. If DW and Mikie Waltrip ever cover a race together LOOK OUT they love to hear there selves talk.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:04 pm
UGa is offering 2 new degrees to get recruits.
1. Bail Bondsmen/ Bounty Hunter
2. Birth Certificate Application and & Continued Possession
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:06 pm
DW & Mikie could talk over a car engine at full song turning 8k rpm.
Eaassyy
January 26th, 2012
7:06 pm
right behind two new tech degrees:
mugging and pistol whip prevention 101
h1B student intro to english
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:11 pm
Can’t wait for speed weeks though. I love the shoot out, but the new drafting at Daytona and
DALEuhDEEGA sucks!
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:12 pm
Welcome to the death of NASCAR. Shorten the races and increase the speeds.
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:15 pm
5150, do you remember the IROC series?
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:16 pm
I am a HUGE Mark Martin Fan if that answers your question.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:17 pm
He did very well in IROC over the years. AND to your point yes. All the same cars at the same speed is not racing for the big boys.
Mountain Dawg
January 26th, 2012
7:19 pm
I think it’s high time that all the Techie Weenie Waggers go back to their own blog to see how many 1-Star recruits they have flipped from the Naval Academy and Ga. Southern.
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:19 pm
That’s what the series is turning into, all the cars are basically equal. The rules have become to tight. At first I did not like Kyle Busch but he is starting to grow on me, he has a old school mentality about him, he just wants to win and does not care if I spin you out to do it!
How to fix Nascar
January 26th, 2012
7:21 pm
Smaller tires – put the driver back into the equation.
No more restrictor plates – put the driver back into the equation.
Both of those suggestions would force drivers to use the brakes and end the draft.
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:21 pm
Mountain Dawg, we are talking NASCAR now!
Dawg48
January 26th, 2012
7:25 pm
Ho to fix NASCAR, we can thank awesome Bill from Dawsonville for the restrictor plates. But let’s face it when a car gets over 200 mph and the wind hits it the wrong way……….well it’s a plane with no wings.
5150 UOAD
January 26th, 2012
7:28 pm
Mount a DWAG this is a JEFF SCHULTZ Blog not a MUTT BLOG
Shorten the races so it isn’t all day to watch.
decide how many miles a car can go on a tank then make like the race so many stops PLUS a 1/2 a tank short of the millage.
tell the sponsors to NUT UP and let the drivers say what they think after the race DAMNIT.
I like KYLE and SMOKE they have the F..U attitude on the track.