Elected officials in Atlanta have taken steps to block the Trump administration from opening a new immigrant detention center within city limits, as well as to require local police to track the activity of federal immigration authorities.
As the Trump administration continues its mass deportation operation nationwide, the Atlanta City Council has passed two resolutions to signify that it does not welcome employees or activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency.
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The move follows similar efforts in blue cities that ICE heavily targeted in operations since last summer, and as Georgia ranks fifth among states for the most ICE arrests under President Donald Trump.
On Monday, city councilors voted to declare that the city opposes ICE’s efforts to buy a massive warehouse and convert it into a jail for illegal immigrants in federal custody.
The resolution’s title states the council’s “opposition to the acquisition, renovation, expansion, and operation of warehouses or other facilities within the city of Atlanta for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities; and for other purposes.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin paused all ICE warehouse purchases and conversions last month, including one purchased in Social Circle, Georgia. Atlanta leaders said the city ought to use its zoning and permitting authorities to examine any ICE project before approving it, according to CBS News.
Despite Atlanta’s efforts to bar ICE from purchasing property in the city, it cannot stop federal law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration laws in any part of the United States or from buying property or land.
The second resolution requests that the Atlanta Police Department put in place policies for how officers should document ICE interactions with the public when they are present. Body camera footage, location, names, and the type of enforcement action should be saved by local police, according to the city council.
The measure is meant to increase accountability and transparency with the public.
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Despite being a southern city, Atlanta is a Democratic stronghold, and the Department of Homeland Security identified its counties in early 2025 as “sanctuary” jurisdictions that do not cooperate with ICE.
However, Clarke, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties in Georgia, as well as the city of Atlanta, were dropped from the list last May.
