ATLANTA — Homeland Security officials say about 1,500 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in Georgia since January 22, a reflection of the Trump administration’s hardline posture on illegal immigration.
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Many of those arrested have already been convicted of serious crimes, including second-degree sexual abuse, sexual assault of a child and drug trafficking. Officials say one immigrant is a Venezuelan gang member wanted for murder in Illinois.
“If they are criminals, we are coming to get them,” said Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. “And if they’re not, and they’re illegally present in the United States, they need to think well and hard about what their plan is for the future.”
That could include self-deportation, something officials at a Friday news briefing encouraged.
Kristen Sullivan is acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said an app is now online from Customs and Border Protection to allow immigrants to report self-deportation without fear of arrest or other legal repercussions.
“We won’t be coming out to your house and arresting you, arresting family members or people that you associate with,” she said. “So you’ll be able to leave on your own terms.”
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The immigration crackdown has included a 10-day enforcement action called Operation Safeguard.
As part of the operation, federal agencies raided a flooring factory in Bartow County on March 26. The owner of Wellmade Manufacturing in Cartersville is accused of bringing hundreds of people from other countries, including China, and forcing them to work in the plant.
The operation also led to the arrest of five people – two of them undocumented immigrants – for firearms violations. Agents seized 13 guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, some of which were bound for Mexico.
“This administration has made immigration enforcement a significant priority and will continue to enforce the law on the books,” Schrank said.
The immigration crackdown involves enforcement at job sites. Officers arrested an undocumented immigrant from Mexico at a workplace who had previously been deported four times. Another undocumented immigrant has a criminal history that includes a conviction for multiple counts of sexual assault of a child.
“While no one should be present unlawfully in the United States, we are initially focusing efforts on those that impact our communities in a negative way,” Schrank said.
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