NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Atlanta, GA, January 30, 2026: Georgia state lawmakers, immigrant rights organizations, and families directly impacted by immigration enforcement gathered on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol on January 29 to call for an immediate end to what they described as militarized immigration enforcement and to demand changes to both state and federal policies.
The press conference was held in solidarity with immigrant communities in Minnesota and focused on Georgia’s growing role as a center for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. Speakers said aggressive state and federal enforcement policies have turned Georgia into an epicenter for ICE detention, family separation, and long-term community trauma.
Advocates noted that Georgia has the fourth-highest ICE detention rate in the country. They also pointed to a sharp rise in arrests of Asian immigrants, which have tripled since early 2025, as evidence that enforcement actions are expanding across immigrant communities.
State Reps. Ruwa Romman, Marvin Lim, Segun Adeyina, and Eric Bell spoke at the event, alongside immigrant rights leaders and community organizers. They included Mildred Pierre of the Free Rodney Taylor Campaign; Murtaza Khwaja, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Atlanta; representatives from Migrant Equity Southeast; and Annette Aguilar, a community organizer with the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR).
“ICE is not broken, nor in need of reform. It is a weapon of state violence functioning exactly as designed,” Khwaja said. “ICE continues to operate with disturbing brutality, posing a direct threat to public safety. We must continue working to protect and safeguard those unjustly targeted in our communities.”
A central focus of the rally was state legislation. Lawmakers and advocates urged the Georgia General Assembly to pass House Bill 1053, which would repeal HB 1105, a law passed two years ago that mandates increased cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE.
According to advocates, HB 1105 led to an almost tenfold increase in local police and sheriff’s departments entering into partnership agreements with ICE, including arrangements allowing local officers to carry out immigration arrests. The law enforces compliance by threatening criminal penalties and the loss of state and federal funding for agencies that do not cooperate. Supporters of HB 1053 said repealing the law would also eliminate Georgia’s “anti-sanctuary” provisions, which they say have created confusion for local governments and school districts.
Beyond state-level reforms, speakers called on the federal government to abolish ICE and end immigration detention. They urged a halt to Department of Homeland Security funding until detention facilities are closed and practices such as third-country removals and prolonged detention are stopped.
“This moment demands courage,” Khwaja said. “We call on the federal government to abolish ICE, end immigration detention facilities, and halt all DHS funding until that happens; we call on the Georgia legislature to pass HB 1053; and on all of us to stand together, because when we protect Georgians, we strengthen Georgia.”
