Dalton State College lost about 55 percent of its English-as-a-second-language learners after a law went into effect that required proof of legal immigration status.
But school officials say they can't attribute the entire loss to the law.
"Normally, we would enroll about 400 ESL students each quarter. Currently, we probably have about 180," said Sherry Riley, adult education director for Dalton State. "A lot of it is the new law, but also it could be that people have moved away because of the lack of jobs here, so I think it's a combination of both."
Under House Bill 2, which went into effect Jan. 1, applicants for public benefits, including adult education, must sign a form notarized on site proving their legal status.
At Georgia Northwestern Technical College, where classes started Jan. 6, it's too soon to determine the impact of the law, said Susan Hackney, vice president of the Office of Adult Education.
But she said "anecdotal information leads me to think that there will be a significant impact on our English language class enrollment, and a smaller impact on the Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education enrollments," she said.
During fiscal year 2009, the college, which covers several counties including Walker and Gordon, served 629 English language learners, or about 18.6 percent of the students who spent at least 12 hours in class, according to Ms. Hackney.
At the end of the first two quarters of fiscal year 2010, the English language learners totaled 404, or about 20 percent of the total, she said.
The bill is aimed at clarifying and "putting teeth" in the original 2006 Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, said D.A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a group that publicizes the consequences of illegal immigration.
PDF: House Bill 02
"The (federal) mandate is that post-secondary education is a public benefit and thereby denied to people who are in the country illegally," he said. "We are trying to save taxpayer dollars in a budget crisis, and cutting off benefits to people who are not eligible is a very efficient way to do that."
But people who work closely with the immigrant communities say it has created more fear and confusion.
"Some participants in our community meetings expressed being very sad, feeling excluded and rejected, not understanding why they're punished for trying to do something positive," said America Gruner, founder of the Coalition for Latino Leaders.
"The number of students in our English classes has increased since the requirement to show proof of immigration status was announced," she said, "but CLILA's message is that, even though this is a challenge, it is also an opportunity to develop alternative solutions together from the grass-roots community."
The nonprofit group is among several organizations and churches that offer free English classes in the region. The coalition now offers classes twice a week and will add more as the number of volunteers increases, she said.
Martha Ann Robertson, who teaches English as a second language for the adult education program at Dalton State, said the new law hasn't affected her job at the college.
She had 14 fewer students this quarter, mainly because she had five classes instead of six, she said.
And although she cares about her students, she said, she can't judge the government.
"I have a personal interest in all of my students and I hate to see anybody have to stop an education program, but I really don't feel it is my role to sit in judgment on decisions that were made by the Legislature," said Ms. Robertson, who has taught in the adult education program for more than 30 years.
"I think they have a hard job to do. I don't think I could handle it any better than the Legislature is handling it," she said.
HOUSE BILL 2
As of Jan. 1:
Anyone applying for public benefits, except those exempted by federal law, is required to show they are lawfully in the United States.
Every public employer, or contractor doing work for a public employer, must verify employment eligibility of all newly hired workers by using the federal program E-Verify.
Law enforcement must try to determine the immigration status of prisoners in local jails who are charged with a felony or DUI or who are convicted of driving without a license. If jailers cannot verify status, they should contact the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.