Sitting on the back porch of his tidy home in a leafy neighborhood northwest of Atlanta, D.A. (Donald Arthur) King could be just another middle-class American troubled by the nation's immigration laws. The retired insurance salesman complains about the all-night parties and cluttered front yard of the Mexican family that until recently lived — illegally, he believes — across the street. King rails against U.S. immigration and law-enforcement agencies that ignored more than a dozen requests he made to investigate. And he reserves special anger for "employers and bankers" who, he says, help illegal immigrants by giving them jobs and mortgages. "They have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being punished by the government," complains King.

King is no silent bystander, either. The 6-ft., 2-in. former U.S. Marine Corps corporal is a leading proponent of one of the toughest immigration laws in the country. The Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act, which Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law on Apr. 17, requires state agencies to verify the legal status of all applicants for taxpayer-provided benefits. It also prohibits state contractors from hiring illegals and eliminates most state income-tax deductions for companies that do. Most of the provisions won't take effect until July, 2007. Still, "the goal is clear: It's to make Georgia less attractive to illegal immigration," says King, who led a "No Amnesty" rally on Apr. 17 of about 150 people at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.[Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands |States such as Georgia are cracking down on illegal labor as reform stalls on the Hill, May 1, 2006 ]

There's also a lengthy web-only interview with D. A. by Coleman Cowan. Here's an excerpt:

Some of the donations you get come from immigrants, and I noticed that one of the scheduled speakers for Monday is a green card holder. Why are you receiving support from immigrants?

You aren't going to find [a] group in our country who [is] more resentful of our borders not being secure and what I believe are more than 20 million people being allowed to live and work here illegally than the real legal immigrants who have joined the American family lawfully. People who have been fingerprinted, waited in line, gone through the process, filled out the forms, had their backgrounds checked, waited around for seven, eight, 10 years in some cases, to become lawful permanent residents.

And they see half a million people demanding citizenship simply because they can raise their voices louder than the next guy, or because they're somehow connected with some ethnicity. "We're Latino, so we demand equal rights." You're going to find few groups in this country who are more angry about illegal immigration than real, legal immigrants. They call me. I don't call them.

Have you ever received any threats as a result of your views?

When I first started, I got threats — "We're going to get gangs after you." The hate mail that comes to me from people saying, "This is our continent — go back to Europe."

They're very, very clear on their message. It's not just, "We want to come here and work for a better life." There are people who will tell you quite clearly, "Most of the United States was stolen from Mexico, and we're going to take it back by any means necessary." [Leading the Charge Against Illegal Aliens|D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society says he's battling to protect America's borders and stem the tide of illegal immigrants into Georgia ]