Atlanta sets limits on ICE, with little clarity on what comes next
Atlanta on Monday joined a growing list of major cities that have taken steps to push back against the presence of federal immigration agents, though that resistance is largely toothless.
Atlanta City Council members backed two resolutions seeking to put parameters around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.
The votes mark the first time Atlanta’s top lawmaking body has formally taken a stance on the Trump administration’s deployment of federal officers to cities.
One resolution prohibits the federal agency from using city resources to build massive detention centers within city limits. That includes resources such as tax abatements, incentives or grants to establish detention centers.
The other requests that Atlanta police preserve officers’ body-worn camera footage of any interactions with ICE agents. It also asks that officers record the agents’ names and identification numbers.
While both passed, the resolutions are non-binding, unlike approved legislation.
City Councilmember Kelsea Bond — who goes by they/them pronouns — said that by passing the resolutions, the body is taking a formal stance against ICE operations and detention facilities within Atlanta.
“And sends a message that ICE is not welcome during, before or after the World Cup games,” they said. “Atlanta should seek to be a progressive model for what a welcoming city looks like and make sure that all types of people, documented or not, feel safe here.”
Last month, federal immigration agents were deployed to Atlanta’s airport to assist employees struggling with long security lines and hourslong wait times caused by the partial government shutdown.
The decision by the Trump administration sparked outcry among some community advocates. Dozens of public speakers urged council members Monday to support the resolutions, arguing it was important to take a stand against practices some called cruel and inhumane.
“This is not just about immigration or law enforcement,” Kimberly Diemert, with the left-leaning political grassroots organization 50501, said during a public comments session Monday. “This is about who we are as a city.”
Diemert pointed to the spate of in-custody deaths at ICE facilities in Georgia and beyond, and urged council members to act ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
“You cannot be a city that welcomes the world and a city that cages it at the same time,” she said.
The Trump administration considered housing thousands of immigrants at warehouses in Social Circle and Oakwood, but halted those plans earlier this month. Both cities expressed concerns about the ability of their utilities to serve large detention facilities.
ICE also opened a new satellite office in College Park earlier this year.
At the time of the warehouses’ purchases by the federal government in February, city leaders in both Oakwood and Social Circle said they were told detainees would arrive sometime in the spring.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has remained largely silent on the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and other policies impacting local governments across the country.
In February, the second-term mayor addressed the potential of ICE presence at the city’s upcoming FIFA World Cup matches, saying ICE is not invited to the city.
“I can’t predict what a federal government will attempt to do at 11 sites of World Cup matches across the United States,” Dickens said at the time. “We hope that their presence will be small, unnoticeable, negligible, invisible — and maybe nonexistent.”
About the Authors
Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
