11:03 a.m. PDT: In my last Townhall column, I mentioned Georgia’s new immigration enforcement laws, which purportedly were enacted to curb illegal “immigration.”

That state’s illegal alien population reportedly doubled between 2000 and 2005. Overwhelmed by non-assimilating, non-English speaking foreigners, Georgians have chosen to deal with the glut themselves.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that drivers who can’t show proof of residency (with a valid Georgia driver’s license or state ID) cannot register cars. The new law went into effect on July 1. From the article:

If [car dealers and tag services] have built their business on people who are here illegally, I’m sorry, but at some point they had to realize that was not going to continue,” Rogers said.

The license plate law closes a window that gave motorists 30 days to get Georgia driver’s licenses after moving to the state. In the interim, a driver could register a car with an out-of-state or international license.

Also effective July 1 was a separate, 2006 law requiring increased verification of legal status in Georgia for a variety of other purposes, including to work in some jobs or qualify for welfare.

While no one knows how many illegal immigrants are in Georgia, a government estimate put the number at about 470,000. Nationally, most illegal immigrants are from Mexico, followed by El Salvador, Guatemala, India and China, according to a 2005 Department of Homeland Security report.

Genao, 34, has a green card and has lived in the United States eight years. If business doesn’t pick up, he might return to his native Dominican Republic to tend to a car dealership there.

Adiós!