Metro Atlanta On Edge Over ICE Raids, Protests, Hotline Set Up

ATLANTA — With much-rumored immigration raids possible on Sunday, Atlanta city and school officials urged people to know their rights if they're detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. On social media, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms posted a message saying targeted raids are expected in pre-dawn hours and she urged migrants to stay in their homes.

"We are asking people if you are in fear of deportation to please stay in on Sunday, to travel in groups ... to the extent that someone comes to your door, please don’t open the door unless they have a warrant," Bottoms said on CNN.

She said while the city won't coordinate in a roundup of immigrants, she faulted the federal agency for not giving Atlanta officials information on where the raids might take place to prepare police for calls they might receive.

The Atlanta Public School system has also posted a message on its website, urging people to know their rights should immigration authorities attempt to arrest them.

"Atlanta Public Schools is a welcoming school district that serves all Atlanta students without regard to their immigration status," the message said. "We’ve learned ICE agents are planning to make mass arrests and deportations targeting migrant families beginning on Sunday, July 14 in major U.S. cities. ICE agents often enter homes or approach immigrants on the street, at work, in their cars, or at court. We encourage everyone who is concerned with protecting themselves or their community members to know your rights."

ICE is moving forward with targeted raids beginning Sunday of least 2,000 immigrants who have been previously ordered deported, according to Bottoms. Ten cities are on the potential target list, including Atlanta.

Klinke Immigration LLC, a Marietta law firm that specializes in immigration issues, tweeted that ICE rented 40 vans from Enterprise on July 11. The firm urged immigrants to be cautious if they see unmarked passenger vans or ICE vehicles (dark SUVs ) in the area. That report wasn't confirmed.

A hotline for those affected by the raids in Atlanta is run by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights: (770) 457-5232.

"There is no telling what one could expect," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "There are groups who will protest ICE and groups who are out there watching for ICE activity. Given the tensions escalated by President Trump, one can certainly be uncertain what may or may not occur in this volatile situation."

National groups are confirming mass raids to detain undocumented people around the country. In the Atlanta area, it is predicted that there will be targeted raids this weekend in pre-dawn hours. Share this post and help Atlantans know their rights. pic.twitter.com/bULlkUHoXq
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/KeishaBott... 12, 2019

On Friday night, rallies in support of the immigrant community were held in the DeKalb County cities of Clarkston and Brookhaven.

President Donald Trump first created panic about raids when he tweeted on June 17, "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in." On June 22, he tweeted that the raids would be delayed at the request of Democrats to "see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border."

Last year, Bottoms signed an executive order to prevent ICE from housing any detainees at the city jail. “As we work to achieve our vision of an Atlanta that is welcoming and inclusive, with equal opportunity for all, it is untenable for our city to be complicit in the inhumane immigration policies that have led to the separation of hundreds of families at the United States southern border,” said Bottoms.

Atlanta originally entered into an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service in March 2010, which allowed the housing of ICE detainees. That agreement was halted by the mayor’s temporary executive order in June 2018. Bottoms then decided the city should no longer accept ICE detainees at all.

“Until there is comprehensive immigration reform, this is the only way Atlanta can truly fulfill its legacy of compassion and tolerance," Bottoms said. "Civil offenses do not warrant criminal consequences, and no one should be jailed solely because they seek the American Dream.”