ATLANTA — A federal appeals court has ruled law enforcement in Georgia may verify the immigration status of criminal suspects who fail to produce proper identification.
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The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that a hold blocking that section of the state's 2011 immigration law should be lifted. It was not immediately clear when that would happen.
Related: Undocumented immigrants confront author of strict immigration laws
The panel did leave in place part of the injunction blocking a section that allows the prosecution of certain individuals who knowingly harbor or transport an illegal immigrant during the commission of a crime.
A lower court must still rule on a challenge to the law by activist groups. Monday's decision dealt only with preliminary injunctions.
The decision tracks a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding parts of a similar law in Arizona.
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