ICE arrests spark "fear" in metro Atlanta Latino communities
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Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say they are getting more calls for help after U.S. federal agents conducted "targeted operations" to arrest undocumented migrants in metro Atlanta over the weekend.
Why it matters: The move marks a shift toward a more aggressive policy to curb illegal immigration after President Trump declared a "national emergency" at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Catch up quick: On Sunday, ICE officials arrested roughly 950 people nationwide, the largest number since Trump took office on Jan. 20, Axios' Bec Falconer reports.
- Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar," told ABC's "This Week" that agents were concentrating on public safety and national security "threats" and that arrest and deportation numbers would "steadily increase."
State of play: ICE has not said exactly where it conducted raids, or if they were targeting specific groups or people.
- According to media outlets and federal agencies' social media posts, we know that ICE and other federal officers made arrests in Brookhaven, Chamblee, Lilburn and Cartersville.
- At least one arrest occurred outside of a church in Tucker, according to WSB.
- The brother of Walter Valladares, a 53-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras, told CNN that the Lilburn construction worker had no criminal record other than driving without a license, which he closed by paying a fine.
What they're saying: "What I'm hearing is fear at a level that I have never seen, except perhaps after 9/11 in the Muslim communities," Charles Kuck, an immigration attorney, told Axios.
- "Fear, fear of losing the life they have, fear of sending their kids to school, fear of the future," Kuck said. "And clearly, that's Trump's intention."
- Jerry Gonzalez, CEO of the GALEO Impact Fund, which advocates for issues important to Georgia's Latino residents, told Axios he's received calls from people who are concerned about whether they can go to church or other places because "there is a lot of uncertainty of what people can and cannot do at this point in time."
- "This is part of a multifaceted effort by the Trump administration to launch a fear and terror campaign against the immigrant and Latino community," he said.
Context: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security last Tuesday reversed a policy that protected churches and schools from immigration raids, Axios' April Rubin reports.
- Gwinnett County Public Schools, the state's largest school district with about 183,000 students from 181 countries, told Axios in a statement that it "remains committed to upholding the dignity, rights, and safety of each and every student."
The big picture: Gonzalez told Axios the organization's primary focus now is educating people about their rights.
- If ICE officials come knocking, Gonzalez and Kuck said residents do not have to open the door for them unless they have a judicial warrant.
What we're watching: Kuck predicted Trump's deportation plan isn't realistic considering the time and resources spent planning, processing and adjudicating the arrests of undocumented immigrants, plus limited available space in metro Atlanta's jails.