Georgia Democrats unveil bills designed to rein in federal immigration agents 

Georgia Senate Democrats unveiled a raft of proposed bills Tuesday that they say will protect Georgians from what they characterized as a rogue federal government using immigration enforcement to terrorize citizens. “As this regime has sought to build a wall against progress, the progress of achieving America’s values and ideals, we must build a wall […]

Sen. Kim Jackson leads a press conference introducing Democratic bills intended to limit ICE's power in Georgia. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Georgia Senate Democrats unveiled a raft of proposed bills Tuesday that they say will protect Georgians from what they characterized as a rogue federal government using immigration enforcement to terrorize citizens.

“As this regime has sought to build a wall against progress, the progress of achieving America’s values and ideals, we must build a wall against (President Donald Trump),” said Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones. “And the legislation presented here today is a step towards protecting all of Georgia’s citizens and making sure that we continue to pursue America’s ideals and goals.”

The bills seek to restrain the operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard in Georgia.

ICE, which is tasked with enforcing immigration laws, has been subject to increased scrutiny since sharply increasing the scale of its operations under the Trump administration. On Jan. 7, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Good in her car, sparking widespread protests of the federal agency’s tactics nationwide, including in Georgia.

Identifying ICE agents

Stone Mountain Democratic Sen. Kim Jackson’s Senate Bill 389 requires ICE agents to display badges and bans them from wearing face coverings while on duty other than for medical or safety reasons or while conducting covert operations.

“We have men who are unidentifiable roaming our streets, snatching up people and taking them and then they are able to commit crimes and hide because we don’t even know their identity,” Jackson said. “So my bill will call for ICE agents to take off their mask to show their face.”

Critics of ICE’s tactics say agents wear masks and cover their badges to avoid being identified and held accountable for violence or illegal behavior.

Supporters of the agency like Savannah Republican Rep. Jesse Petrea say masking has become a necessity because agents and their families have had their personal information published and received threats after their faces have appeared on social media.

“Clearly the reason the masks are out there is the progressive left has been doxxing them and endangering their families and threatening their families and threatening them in a very personal way. That’s unacceptable,” Petrea said. “So if they want to mask themselves, that’s perfectly fine with me.”

Petrea said ICE agents have experienced steep increases in threats and attacks since Trump took office last January, which Petrea calls politically motivated. The Trump administration has pursued a mass deportation campaign.

National Guard deployments

Senate Bill 390, which was sponsored by Jones, aims to codify that National Guard troops cannot be stationed in Georgia without the permission of the governor unless the deployed troops are “in the service of the United States and are acting under authority that is validly invoked by the President of the United States.”

Trump has deployed National Guard troops to cities including Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Chicago and Memphis. The Trump administration has argued that the deployments are necessary to prevent crime, while Democrats argue they are illegal shows of force.

The bill would have no effect on the Georgia National Guard deployment to Washington announced by Gov. Brian Kemp in September.

ICE out of schools, churches

Duluth Democratic Sen. Nabilah Parkes’ SB 391 would require a judicial warrant for any state, local or federal agency to conduct immigration operations at a school, college campus, public place of worship, hospital, public library or family violence shelter.

“Kids should be focused on learning, not fear, and parents should be able to drop their children off at school knowing it is a place of stability and not disruption, and no one should get dragged out of their home or workplace without a judicial warrant,” said Parkes, who is running for Georgia insurance commissioner. “That’s basic constitutional due process.”

Suing ICE

Sandy Springs Democratic Sen. Josh McLaurin said he introduced SB 397 to allow Georgians to bring civil action against federal officials who violate Georgians’ constitutional rights.

McLaurin said the bill’s passage would make ICE agents face the same potential legal consequences as state and local law enforcement officers for violating Georgians’ rights.

“ICE does not currently face that threat in Georgia, which means they know that if they act unchecked, nothing will happen to them,” he said. “A personal lawsuit against ICE agents under Georgia law is essential to deterring ICE agents from ever committing these crimes in the first place.”

A difficult road

Jackson acknowledged that bills restricting ICE operations will have a tough time achieving passage in a Republican-dominated state during an election year.

“We understand that the road to the governor’s desk is quite limited, that path is narrow, but we also stand here and hope that common sense and good policy might persuade a few of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand up and to resist and to be a part of good policy making on behalf of the good people of Georgia,” she said.

But Petrea argued that the good people of Georgia already have good immigration policy.

Petrea said Georgia has not seen major ICE activities as in states like Minnesota in part because of state law requiring local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE.

In 2024, Kemp signed Petrea’s “Criminal Alien Track and Report Act.”

In an interview Tuesday, Petrea said that cooperation makes immigration enforcement safer for everyone.

“They’re going straight to ICE when they’re requested, so ICE is just picking them up and taking the bad guys out,” he said. “You don’t have to go into the community and break down doors when the bad guys, in this instance, are handed over to you by law enforcement.”

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE