Obama regime sues in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1.

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) — Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday signed one of the nation’s toughest immigration enforcement measures into law amid threats of court challenges and economic boycotts targeting Georgia.

Partly patterned after a stringent law Arizona enacted last year, Georgia’s House Bill 87 empowers police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects. The measure also sets new hiring requirements for employers and penalizes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants here.

Deal, who campaigned for governor last year on bringing an Arizona-style law to Georgia, called his signature on HB 87 and historic moment.

“Today, we are taking action to uphold the rule of law,” Deal said.

Supporters of HB 87 have hailed it as a victory for taxpayers who have borne the cost of illegal immigration in Georgia. A recent estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center puts the number of illegal immigrants in Georgia at 425,000, the seventh-highest among the states. Those illegal immigrants, supporters of HB 87l say, are taking jobs from state residents and burdening Georgia’s public schools, hospitals and jails.

Local opponents of the measure said they have been working with some national organizations in drafting a lawsuit to challenge the measure in court, arguing Georgia is overstepping its bounds.

“We look forward to stopping this unconstitutional law from ever taking effect,” Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-area immigration attorney and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said Friday before Deal signed the bill.