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
Follow me on Twitter (@JeffSchultzAJC). Friend me on Facebook (Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC).
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
240 comments Add your comment
David Granger
January 27th, 2012
12:06 am
If he were born in the US, the hospital would have a record of it. And if he were born at home, the doctor would have records for it. This seems like it would have been an easy fix, unless there’s more here than we’re being told.
The Factor
January 27th, 2012
12:09 am
@5150
Seems like a great kid and would love for UGA to get him, but from everything I have seen he is very happy to be going to Tek (sorry, couldn’t resist…kinda like dwag…).
5150 UOAD
January 27th, 2012
12:26 am
just let them sign after their Junior year when ever they get qualified. When the SAT ACT test scores are in and he looks good to go let them sign that will stop over signing too. Coaches will have to be good on the offer. If the kid doesn’t pan out then after the year cut him lose. That is what the kids are doing with the verbal commitment then changing.
Redneckerson
January 27th, 2012
12:26 am
“Never in a million years did any of us think this would affect a football team.”
No, of course not. You wrote this beauty of a bill to keep the Consuela’s and Pablo’s of the state from getting a little education. Darn hispanics trying to get an education. Well it looks like your net caught an unintended victim. I hope this kid goes to another school, develops and becomes an all-American.
5150 UOAD
January 27th, 2012
12:34 am
The TAIL is Wagging the Dog. I don’t want to lose these kids, but CPJ is right. Commitment has a definition the kids need to learn.
The Factor
January 27th, 2012
12:35 am
@Redneckerson
So it’s ok for me to keep footing the bill taxwise for illegals to go to GA public schools in addition to paying higher healthcare costs because crowded hospital ER’s can’t turn anyone away, even for a nosebleed or a sore throat – something they were never intended to do?
5150 UOAD
January 27th, 2012
12:40 am
Sic’m The FACTOR. Bite him on the butt so his brains will fallout.
The Factor
January 27th, 2012
12:40 am
@5150…….agree. I also think this kid UGA is recruiting from Valdosta, his grand dad is enjoying his “press” moment with a bit of sad grandstanding.
chicano white honky
January 27th, 2012
12:44 am
this samoan football player better not call the FLIPFLOPPER anchor baby MORMON mexican-american and candidate for president MITT ROMNEY. YES MITT ROMNEY is mexican and might be the MANCHURIAN candidate and give mexican amnesty when he is elected. MITT OLD MAN was born in mexico and his grandfather ROMMENY had several mexican wives back in the day and MITT still has bunch of mexican PRIMOS living in MEXICO and very proud of their TIO-uncle ROMMEY, but the FLIPFLOP MITT says he deport all illegals, please who are goin to change the diapers of all those white mormon wives kids that live in LILLY WHITE UTAH. the black people aint going to change those mormon kid diapers like the movie the HELP. because MITT FATHER was born in MEXICO, mitt can become citizen of mexico any time he wants to walk in any mexican consulate or embassy any where in the world or the united states.
Redneckerson
January 27th, 2012
1:22 am
the Factor…no we shouldn’t foot the bill. but the spirit of the bill was not in that light. it was written to stop the illegals from getting in the education game. why pass on the money?? if illegals want to get an education then they got to step up with cash and pay as they go along. get legal but until you are–CASH ONLY. that’s all schools want anyway. illegals didn’t become an issue in the country until it looked like the next generation was not going to cut grass and paint houses like papi. this bill was written out of fear of them getting in the game and creating some more competition for jobs. 5150 u have to come harder than that ole dude…go back to watching FOX News.
ARdawg
January 27th, 2012
1:26 am
UOAD
If you weren’t such an idiot you might understand that most illegals will not push the envelope and go hanging around an INS office attempting to get a child documented when it will challenge their own presence in this country. I wonder what is it really like inside that Peter Pan head of yours.
Chester had nothing to do with his parents immigration status yet HE is paying the price for it. This can be rectified. If HE was in fact born on US soil he has the same inalienable rights as you even if HE wasn’t documented. And no, just because HE was given birth on US soil does not mean it was documented. Idiot
5150 UOAD
January 27th, 2012
1:57 am
ARdwag if he doesn’t have documents I don’t care if he was born here. He has to prove it. he can’t the to damn bad. His parents Made a Choice to play Russian roulette with his future by not playing by the rules. Sorry but he has other choices of colleges he can attend. Many of you are just UPSET cause he wants to be a MUTT Football player. If you care about him getting an education fine. He can go to school in another state. he can even go to a college in Georgia and play football just not UGa and that is what is making you guys cry.
5150 UOAD
January 27th, 2012
2:04 am
ARdwag very few illegals really FEAR being deported. They are out and in your face all day everyday. They drive without licenses and insurance they stand on the corner looking for work. You are full of it saying they fear being sent back. That might be changing with the new laws and that is a good thing. When Chester was born the chance of a Samoan being deported? haha You are kidding right?
Call ICE like you are suppose to.
January 27th, 2012
3:41 am
The TECH commit is a Foreign student with a STUDENT VISA.. you are DAM right. 2 Tech students have gone and got all LEGAL !!!! Paper work done. Have people gone nuts to let ILLEGALS try to make our state a joke. Now Mitt Rommey will use this to sack our NEWT . This IILEGAL needs to be handed over and trailed. But not one soul cares any more. To bid by our LAWS. Nor is any one trying to get ICE to do they dam job. Hand this case over to ICE or fired coach mark for not reporting this to ICE
this is just as bad to what happen @ PENN ST . People breaking the law by not reporting .
Fire Coach RICHT for hiding this
January 27th, 2012
3:50 am
UGA and COACH RICHT have not came out and reported this to any one. They need to fired him. As they did in PENN ST . For not reporting a crime. We going to start a group to seek to remove Coach Richt from UGA.
legionaire
January 27th, 2012
5:01 am
This kid has had plenty of time to make sure he is a legal citizen. He won’t or can’t. Either way the Georgia law worked like it is supposed to. No more explanation or whining please.
Orange11
January 27th, 2012
5:19 am
Maybe he can get on at The University of Somoa.
NotTomBaxter
January 27th, 2012
7:44 am
I believe Schultz when he says that he normally does not talk to politicians. If he did, Jeff would have started crying from laughing so hard when Earl Ehrhart said that “You can’t get into the business of making laws tailored to individuals”.
That, my friends, is comedy gold.
RedandBlackDAWG
January 27th, 2012
7:49 am
Something tells me, that Mom and Dad, may not be telling it like it is. If this young man were born in the U.S., even if they had lost his birth certificate, it would be a simple matter contacting the bureau of records in California and they could issue a copy. It seems they are encouraging him to go to another state where the immigration laws will allow him to enroll, without the need to prove he is a legal U.S. Citizen. If indeed, anybody is working on obtaining that certificate, UGA will most likely have a recruiting slot left over for him. I think there just may be a reason it can’t be produced and it might be that he was not born in the United States. I feel bad for the kid, but UGA didn’t let him down, it appears most likely his parents did.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
January 27th, 2012
8:05 am
If a county courthouse in America was blown up and everone’s record burned would those people born in that county would those stll not American. This policy is asinine. Get rid of it and the stupid Republicans who thought it up. I hope the Red Chinese hackers hack into every computer in all courthouses in the United States of America and destroy all the birth records. This would end this asinine policy once and for all.
Really?
January 27th, 2012
8:07 am
@David Granger
Most kids born at home are born without the help of a doctor. It’s midwives and family members doing the duty and they wouldn’t have records. When in the last 20 years do you know of a physician making a house call?
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
January 27th, 2012
8:08 am
Why didn’t stupid Republican put an exception in the law for people whose records were lost or destroyed. Or who were birthed by midwives. These Republican politicians are ,mindless Fools who can not think.
Georgia Laughingstock
January 27th, 2012
8:14 am
“Never in a million years did any of us think this would affect a football team.” I wonder what Jesus would do with the Dream Act. . .
Rodster
January 27th, 2012
8:47 am
I am sorry for the young man’s trouble. I do feel badly for him. But on the other hand I just have to laugh at the irony. The stupid right-wing conservative jack holes in Georgia that got on their soap box and ranted and raved about undocumented aliens, etc… To all of you butt wipes, your arguments were spurious and born out of some paranoid hysteria to start with and now the unintended consequence is it has lost your university possibly a really good football player. Ha!
TallaDawg
January 27th, 2012
8:55 am
“You can’t get into the business of making laws tailored to individuals,” Ehrhart said.
But, wasn’t the impetus behind the whole policy a single circumstance involving ONE individual?
Kmac
January 27th, 2012
9:03 am
I’m a dawg through and through….season ticket holder for 13 years, etc. I stand by this policy and have no problem with it even if it affects a potential top recruit coming here. The issue is not whether immigrants can go to school here, it is whether they are LEGALLY allowed to be here. If they are not, go home, get in line like all the other law abiding future immigrants and come here LEGALLY.
flagboy?
January 27th, 2012
9:07 am
I don’t understand the fuss. If the kid has a US birth Cert, he’d be fine. Apparently he doesn’t have one. So by law, he can’t take the place of someone from the state. I don’t have a problem with that.
It is unfortunate for the kid because it wasn’t his decision to do anything illegal in respect to where we would live or move to at a young age, but the law is there for a reason. It’s rough for him, and really ONLY for him. . . but i’m sure he’ll land on his feet.
Best of luck.
A brief recrootin’ post | Get The Picture
January 27th, 2012
9:09 am
[...] A Georgia legislator makes a funny about Chester Brown’s plight. [...]
robodawg
January 27th, 2012
9:18 am
“There’s no self-preservation in that.”
And self-preservation is, of course, rule number 1 for these guys.
zgoldatl
January 27th, 2012
9:18 am
I agree with the politicians on this one. We have too many native Georgians in need of a higher education. This is a good policy, and shouldn’t be adjusted to help or hurt one individual. Wish the young man the best of luck
bucket
January 27th, 2012
9:27 am
My question about Mr. Brown’s situation would be this: Has no one else in the state of Georgia ever asked for his birth certificate? I am 41 years old and I have been asked for my birth certificate so many times that I can’t even remember. Did the schools he has been enrolled in not ask for one? Did he ever play youth league sports?
phildo
January 27th, 2012
9:33 am
How did he prove his age for eligibility to play HS football? What if he is 30 years old?
GT
January 27th, 2012
9:33 am
WHAT DID THIS KID DO WRONG? FOREIGNERS HAV EBEEN RECRUITED TO UNIVERSITIES TO PLAY SPORTS AND DO TOP ACADEMIC WORK FOR YEARS. WHY CAN HE NOT GET OUT OF COUNTRY SCHOLARSHIP-LEVEL MONEY?
I UNDERSTAND THE INTENT OF THE RULE. PERFORS THE TENNIS PLAYER WAS A SWEDE. SO?
A MAJOR PROBLEM IS AND WILL CONTINIUE TO BE A CORRUPT, POLITICAL, SLIMY BOARD OF REGENTS.
Vince
January 27th, 2012
9:35 am
I haven’t heard one UGA fan complain about this issue.
bucket
January 27th, 2012
9:39 am
Exactly phildo! I can understand the coaches not thinking this was an issue because I am sure they figured that question had been answered a long time ago.
Alphare
January 27th, 2012
9:58 am
Out of 300,000 college applicants in Georgia, only 500 were illegal immigrants, about 1.5 out of one thousand.
Yet, those “conservatives” thought they were destroying the state of Georgia, ruining their good lives.
RD
January 27th, 2012
10:08 am
Nice coach the mutts had scaming his own players out of millions.
Mick
January 27th, 2012
10:11 am
Those kids must have consumed a lot of milk from cows given growth horomones. Look at those boobs on them. Make cpj’s look like a size b.
Dr. Phil
January 27th, 2012
10:13 am
This policy was enacted by Sonny Perdue’s hand-picked BOR. This is the same Board that winked at Adams fleecing the UGA funds for a graduation party for his son and awarded a salary and retirement plan for Mrs. Adams. Other outrages included a $500,000 desk for Adams’ office. I am surprised that Adams’ protector and pal, Regent Leebron, couldn’t help Mike out with this immigration problem. Leebron still owes Mike for the lucrative bottled water monopoly at the University. Perdue and this BOR have set the University System back to the days of Gene Talmadge.
ptmmac
January 27th, 2012
10:16 am
The really scary thing is that Conservatives want more government when we don’t need it. Lets make sure some special piece of paper is required for anyone to get government services. Who cares that government is the worst way to do anything. You know I won’t have a problem with this because I have the paper and illegal aliens won’t have a problem because they are already breaking the law. The only ones who will have a problem are innocent, hardworking, and poor. Who cares about poor people? They are all losers anyway. Wonderful set of values you guys got!
WDE
January 27th, 2012
10:24 am
@ptmmac what in the hell did you just spew? You need your meds checked again. This is a shame for the young man but the law is working as designed, if your not a legal citizens the tax payers of the state aren’t going to foot the bill for you education. If your illegal your illegal its real simple. We are all immigrants just most of us are legal immigrants.
John Galt
January 27th, 2012
10:36 am
If he was born here someone can help him find his birth certificate. If he wasn’t, it is an appropriate law and his exclusion is appropriate.
John Galt
January 27th, 2012
10:38 am
@ptmmac -
Huh?
Dave
January 27th, 2012
10:41 am
Something’s fishy here. I recently needed a certified copy of my birth certificate. Ordered it (from another state) on a Friday, had it in my hands the following Monday. If he was born here why can’t his parents prove his citizenship?
GT
January 27th, 2012
10:41 am
This reads like a John Grisham novel with a pinch of Saturday Night Live. You got a bunch of fat politicians that look and sound like Fog Horn Leghorn who only meant to pick on a minority, so southern, and grandstand a little. Like a husband caught cheating and telling his wife, “you know I didn’t love the girl, just a one night thing baby!”. And now these fat guys that take themselves way too seriously are calling a sport writer and telling him “I am far too sophisticated to be talking to someone like you, but this is the Georgia Bulldawgs we are putting in jeopardy and I need to talk to somebody, explain myself.” Crops rotting in the field during an economic turn down, Christian people getting shot in the dead of night crossing deserts, and a state that finds itself last in every category that counts, like education, jobs, wealth… finds this the subject he wants to make himself clear about to a sportswriter. I telling you this is too rich for anybody to believe and like everything else good in this state, Chester Brown, will be playing for someone else next year in some other state that can probably see the forest and not stuck on the trees.
dean
January 27th, 2012
10:45 am
Dave @ 1041. Bingo!
John Galt
January 27th, 2012
10:47 am
@Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR-
Thank you sir; my confidence was sort of low today, but when I read your post, I was reminded that there are a lot of people out there who are as dumb and inarticulate as rocks, making me appear to be a genius by comparison.
Thanks for the confidence boost!
John Galt
January 27th, 2012
10:49 am
You too GT! Thanks!
GT
January 27th, 2012
10:55 am
And thank you for the laugh John Galt? What would this world be without clowns like you?
David Granger
January 27th, 2012
10:57 am
@ Really?
re: Your 8:07
Actually, most children born in this country to illegal immigrants are born in hospitals, since the law requires that the hospital cannot turn them away and cannot report them, either…plus, the hospital then gets a very nice tax writeoff if the family can’t pay, as is often the case. And I suspect that is the situation here. I just wanted to include the possibility of his being born at home because…if I didn’t…some bozo would invariably write something like “everybody’s not born in a hospital, you know?”
And if a midwife were in charge of the birth, he or she would invariably have known about, kept, and filed the proper records…especially in California. Midwives there are recognized professionals, have to be licensed, and are paid well…and they’re not going to take chances by failure to file the correct papers required by state law. And also, by filing the correct papers, his parents would have been eligible for several different types of government assitance because the kid would have been an American citizen.
I think there’s more to this story than we are being given.
I wish the kid luck wherever he goes to school.