GA National Guard Deployed For ICE Operations

ATLANTA, GA — Gov. Brian Kemp has instructed the Georgia National Guard to deploy troops to assist immigration efforts, following the path of multiple states which continue to fuel President Donald Trump's removal of those in the country illegally.

Kemp on late Tuesday morning shared the news via a Facebook post. Soldiers and airmen will aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts, he said.

"Proud to stand with the White House in the ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and keep Americans safe," Kemp said in the post.

Kemp's office on Monday said about 75 Georgia National Guard members will be part of the 1,700 service members in 18 other states to help ICE, the Georgia Recorder reported.

The purpose of the Guard is to aid in administrative and logistics efforts, and not immigration arrests, the Recorder reported.

“With the longest continuous presence at the border of any National Guard, Georgia has led on this front for years and will continue to do so through this latest measure while still meeting all responsibilities and duties the Guard has to the state," Kemp said in a statement, per the Recorder.

Georgia Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, on Monday called Kemp's latest move "no act of security" and said the deployment is a tool for creating more division in the Peach State.

In condemnation of the measure, Bell said service members should not be made to engage in acts that breach principle and law.

“When soldiers stand against citizens, it would not be one neighborhood that suffers—it could be the whole fabric of our democracy that could be torn. … Those should remember that their obligations are to the Constitution and the people, not to authority. It is my view that protecting freedom and upholding the rule of law are central to American principles, and I believe the Revolution was fought to ensure that no individual could undermine the rights and dignity of the nation’s people," Bell, a veteran and Georgia native, wrote.

“We must not mimic the failed ideologies. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. This is Georgia, a place of fierce independence. I say to you: if you fight with me, I will fight with you. If you stand with me, I will stand with you. Together, we can ensure Georgia remains a beacon of democracy. It is my belief that history is watching, and our children and grandchildren are listening. I maintain that we should remain vigilant and not be misled or distracted. Let us stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and declare with one voice: Not here. Not now. Not Georgia. Not America.”

Training is set to start in mid-September for the Guard, the Recorder reported.