The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a sharp rebuke of Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms' past decision to sever ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when she was mayor of Atlanta.
During a Democratic fundraiser in Dalton, Georgia, Bottoms highlighted her 2018 decision to end a multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement with ICE, stating that other cities, counties, and states followed Atlanta's lead. She framed the move as a principled stand against the Trump administration's family separation policy and an affirmation of "seeing the humanity in people."
However, a DHS spokesperson responded forcefully, asserting that Bottoms' actions only served to obstruct federal immigration laws and contribute to an increase in illegal immigration in the Atlanta area. The department accused her of being anti-law enforcement and favoring undocumented immigrants over public safety.
DHS also challenged Bottoms' characterization of ICE's family separation policies, stating that parents are given the option to be removed with their children or designate a safe person to care for them. The department noted that this procedure is consistent with past administrations and that individuals in the country illegally can currently take advantage of a $2,600 offer and free flight for self-deportation, with an incentive to return legally in the future. Those who do not comply, DHS stated, face arrest and deportation.
The DHS spokesperson emphasized the importance of local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, citing the success of such partnerships in numerous arrests, including 40,000 in Florida and over 650 in a two-week operation in West Virginia. The department argued that when local authorities refuse cooperation, federal agents must increase their visible presence to apprehend individuals who may have been released from jails and are back in communities.
To underscore its point, the DHS spokesperson shared mugshots of individuals arrested in Atlanta for serious crimes, including rape and sexual offenses against a child, and terroristic state offenses, implying a connection between the city's reduced cooperation with ICE and the presence of criminal offenders.