Georgia immigration law gets go-ahead

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ATLANTA, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Georgia can start enforcing a law allowing police to investigate suspected illegal immigrants, officials say.

A federal appeals court decision last week clears the way, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The court refused to reconsider a decision that another section of the law making harboring illegal immigrants a state crime is pre-empted by existing federal statutes.

In August, the court threw out that part of the law while upholding the controversial "show me your papers" section. That allows state and local police in Georgia to investigate the immigration status of suspects who cannot prove they are in the country legally.

Gov. Nathan Deal's office has not commented on the latest decision and the state has not said when it would begin enforcing the law.