Morning, y’all. When I was a student at Syracuse University, in the snowiest city in the United States, I knew a guy who wore shorts all through the blistering winter because he said he could “think” himself out of being cold. It wouldn’t surprise me if some people thought the same way about the heat. Don’t be that person. Not here, not in the middle of summer. It is once again warning-level humid and hot, so be cool about it.
Let’s get to it.
AN INCREASED JAIL-TO-ICE DETENTION PIPELINE
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/TNS
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/TNS
Jails around metro Atlanta are funneling a surging number of detainees into ICE custody; a product of new state and federal policies.
- The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office received 218 “detainer” requests from ICE from April through June. Detainer requests allow jurisdictions to hold people past their release date for ICE pickup.
- In the last three months of 2024, the GCSO received fewer than half that number.
- Tom Homan, the Trump border czar, recently said ICE prefers to pick immigrants up from jails rather than apprehend them elsewhere.
- Gwinnett is the only county that’s released records of the offenses immigrant detainees are booked in for. The No. 1 offense is driving without a license.
These increases aren’t just because of new federal policies. Detainer requests aren’t by nature legally binding and local agencies can choose to ignore them. However, a 2024 Georgia law states sheriffs’ offices must “comply with, honor, and fulfill” the requests.
🔎 READ MORE: What immigration advocates say about the widening jail-to-ICE pipeline
Meanwhile, Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis says deportation flights have started departing from the newly opened and widely criticized detention center in the remote Everglades.
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PROTESTS AGAINST TRUMP’S TAX BILL
Credit: Zaire Breedlove/AJC
Credit: Zaire Breedlove/AJC
Protesters gathered around Georgia and across the U.S. this weekend for demonstration’s against President Donald Trump’s recently passed tax bill.
- At one demonstration in Atlanta, community experts spoke on the consequences of the bill, which makes cuts to programs like Medicaid, food assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- “The pain is just beginning,” said David Schaefer, vice president of research and policy at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
- The rally was attended by local groups supporting workers’ rights, caregiving reform and economic justice.
🔎 READ MORE: Some Georgia Democratic leaders were also in attendance
DAYS OF DEADLY VIOLENCE
It’s been a rough few days for gun violence in Atlanta. From last Wednesday through Saturday, four people were killed and at least 17 injured in multiple shootings across the metro area.
To think just last week, the Atlanta Police Department reported a 32% drop in homicides through mid-July compared to the same period of time last year.
🔎 READ MORE: Information about the locations and victims in recent incidents
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🇪🇺 The U.S. and the EU agreed on a trade framework this weekend that sets a 15% tariff on most goods. Although finer details have yet to materialize, the deal includes a $750 million, three-year energy investment from the EU.
🌴 The House may be going on summer break, but legislators across the spectrum say they’re still furious about the White House’s ducking and dodging of the Epstein controversy.
💰 The Education Department will release billions in previously withheld grant funds for literacy, English language and other school programs. The Trump Administration froze $6 billion in grants at the beginning of July.
💬 MARTA is looking for a new CEO, and we’re looking for your input. How would you improve the city’s transit system?
Send letters of 200 words or fewer to letters@ajc.com and include your full name and city, as well as a phone number for verification. More details in the link above.
DAD’S GARAGE TURNS 30
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Atlanta music and comedy staple Dad’s Garage turned 30 this weekend, a surprisingly tender age for a place called “Dad’s Garage” that has seen so many iconic acts under its roof.
To celebrate, performers from three decades and some Dad’s Garage founders got together for a “Dirty 30″ party featuring a through-the-eras TheatreSports competition.
What is TheatreSports? It’s a Dad’s Garage original invention consisting of fast-paced team improv. There are props, prompts and, of course, audience participation. Over the years, TheatreSports has become DG’s signature brand of comedy.
I think it's just such a big deal that we've made it to 30 years because a lot of arts institutions, especially in the arts and culture climate right now, do not make it this far.
🎭 READ MORE: Notes and notable appearances from Friday’s show
THE DECATUR PLANTERS ARE NO MORE
Credit: Bill Banks/AJC
Credit: Bill Banks/AJC
Decatur’s colorful roadside planters have been through hell since they were installed in 2019. They were mocked, crashed into, vandalized and ultimately revered as one of those weird love-hate staples that bind city neighborhoods together.
Alas, their time has come. The 143 bright boxes along West Howard Avenue were removed and the last of them sold in a city-sponsored auction this weekend.
All things are fleeting, and the planters were never meant to last. In their place will be erected a $1.9 million permanent barrier. Maybe it will be just as weird.
🟧 🟦 🟥 READ MORE: The life and times of the garish traffic boxes
NEWS BITES
Six Flags over Georgia won’t do Holiday in the Park this year
Sorry if this ruins your morning. At least you have enough time to find something just as jolly.
Atlanta’s Gridlock Guy on the differences between covering traffic in a helicopter and in a truck
Sure, a helicopter may give a bird’s eye view, but you don’t really feel the pain of it all unless you’re sitting there in it.
Falcons’ Younghoe Koo gives commencement speech at Georgia Southern
We love our large Korean king. Trivia time: How many South Koreans have played in the NFL, Koo included? Answer at the bottom.
Record crowds are expected at the Braves-Reds game at Bristol Motor Speedway
I admire the advanced geometry required to get a baseball diamond in there.
ON THIS DATE
July 28, 1985
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of the Atlanta Journal: South takes Coca-Cola personally. Like millions of Americans, John Egerton is still astounded. Egerton, a Nashville author who is writing a book on Southern food, cannot fathom why late-20th century adults would run like sweet-toothed lemmings to their phones, their mailboxes — even their lawyers — just because the Coca-Cola Co. was altering its elixir.
Once you see the date, you know exactly what this article is talking about: The dastardly, short-lived New Coke.
ONE MORE THING
Trivia answer: Four. There have been only four Korean-born players in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference. Football heads with the deep knowledge can name them all. For the rest of us, they’re Younghoe Koo, Kyle Love, Hines Ward and John Lee.
Have a great Monday! You are going to have a prosperous week, I can feel it. Here, take a forehead kiss with you for good luck. Mwah.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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