Georgia Republican pushes back on Trump's position on immigrants
ATLANTA - A Dalton Republican who supported President Donald Trump said he is against the administration's hard-line stance on immigration.
"It's one of those deals where you hold your nose on some issues," state Rep. Kasey Carpenter said on the "Politically Georgia" podcast. "But it's been heartbreaking for sure."
Carpenter is known for his hard-line conservative voting record, but he breaks ranks with his GOP colleagues over immigration.
"I hope that I've shown my colleagues that it's OK to do the right thing. You might lose five points in a primary," he said. "You might lose 10 points in a primary, but you're doing the right thing."
Carpenter's district is majority minority, according to 2023 data from the Georgia Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, with 50% of its residents reporting as Hispanic, 42% white and 4% Black.
The area made headlines when college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested earlier this month by a Dalton police officer and turned over to federal immigration authorities after a traffic stop.
The Mexican-born Georgia woman has been released on bond, and the officer in the incident has resigned.
"She was really ingrained in our community," said Carpenter, who wrote a character letter on behalf of Arias-Cristobal. "So it was a huge outpouring of support for her."
Carpenter says Republicans and Democrats alike raise money on the issue of immigration, using communities as "political volleyballs." But for him the solution is simple.
"You secure the border, get rid of the hardened criminals (and) give the people that have been here a long time a pathway," he said. "I think the reality is the overwhelming majority of Americans would support it."
Carpenter's stance is supported by data in the latest round of AJC polling.
In the poll, 57% of people surveyed said they believe there should be a way for most people who have come to the U.S. without permission to stay in the country legally if they meet certain requirements.
"There are good people that have been here for a really, really long time that we don't want to get rid of," Carpenter told hosts Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy.
Have a question or comment for the show? Call or text the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 770-810-5297. We'll play back your question and answer it during our next Monday Mailbag segment. You can also email your questions at PoliticallyGeorgia@ajc.com.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to "play Politically Georgia podcast."
AJC staffers Adam Beam and Phoebe Quinton contributed to this report.
Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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