Separate Latino Days at state Capitol with dueling takes on state, national immigration crackdowns

by Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder
February 5, 2025

Republican President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans are inciting fear among immigrants throughout Georgia who are concerned about members of their communities being separated from friends, family members and coworkers.

Since the president was sworn in on Jan. 20, raids led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are on the rise, with more than 7,300 arrests so far across the nation. Trump issued a series of immigration orders since he took office for his second term in support of his campaign promises of mass deportation and a substantial increase in border patrol security. He quickly signed the Laken Riley Act legislation, named for a Georgia nursing student slain on the University of Georgia campus by a Venezuelan national who immigration authorities say entered the country illegally.

Separate Latino Day celebrations took place at the state Capitol this week, with Georgia political factions voicing differing stances on Trump’s controversial deportation plans. The issue of immigration policy continues to simmer in the Georgia Legislature, with several immigration-related bills filed since the session started in mid-January.

Daniela Rodriguez, executive director of Migrant Equity Southeast, spoke about the challenges faced by Latino communities, including fear of ICE raids and other immigration crackdowns she says are unfair. She was one of the guest speakers at Wednesday’s third annual Latino Day event at the state Capitol organized by the Latino Community Fund Georgia, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials and 14 local organizations.

“These past few days have been tough and heavy. Even with all the preparation, the fear and worry in our immigrant communities feels very real,” Rodriguez said. “Mothers are scared of being separated from their children, families are living in fear of ICE raids and unfair policies. This isn’t just upsetting. This is wrong. No one should have to live in fear.”

Rodriguez praised the resilience of Latinos in America in defending their rights. She urged a united front in the fight against sanctuary city laws and other policies discriminating against Latinos.

“This isn’t the first time they’re coming to attack us, and just like we’ve done it before, we will stand up and we will fight back,” Rodriguez said. “Hope isn’t just a feeling. Hope is a call to action. And I will continue to have hope, hope that this reality won’t define our future. Hope that together, we will rise above these challenges.”

A day earlier, Loganville Republican Rep. Rey Martinez hosted a press conference for Latino Day featuring speakers from conservative organizations like Libre Initiative.

He said he has compassion for Latinos who are scared of being removed from their communities, but the Trump administration is going after criminals, whether they’re violent gang members or immigrants lacking permanent legal status.

“They want to get rid of the bad apples first,” Martinez said. “They want to get rid of, first, people who are here illegally, because obviously they broke the law.”

There are reports that immigrants without permanent legal status are being detained in metro Atlanta, leaving some people, even legal immigrants, confused.

Jefferson Dominguez, a board member with the Hispanic Construction Association, said he supported Trump’s immigration plan, but was concerned about the large number of his employees afraid of coming to work despite being legally in the country.

“Whoever is working here with respect, paying taxes, and to do great things for this country should stay,” Dominguez said Tuesday inside the Capitol. “We just want to get out the bad people that came here to do bad things. We don’t want the bad people.”

In Georgia, Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation that would stiffen penalties for local government officials and employees who do not report immigrants without permanent legal status to federal authorities.

A state Senate committee hearing was held Wednesday for Senate Bill 21, which would allow for local government officials and employees in so-called sanctuary cities to be held criminally and civilly liable for crimes committed by immigrants without permanent legal status. The bill advanced out of committee and is now eligible for a vote by the full Senate.

In 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation requiring law enforcement to notify federal authorities when undocumented immigrants are arrested in Georgia. Under the state’s new immigration law, local governments are subject to losing state funding and police and local officials may face misdemeanor charges for failing to enforce federal immigration laws.

It is not just immigrants without permanent legal status who are targeted by Trump’s orders. The Trump administration terminated humanitarian  protections that allowed thousands of Venezuelans to work legally in the U.S.

State Sen. RaShaun Kemp criticized Trump and other Republicans for supporting mass deportations and making insensitive remarks about migrants on Wednesday.

“As an Afro-Latino citizen, I have to say that this country that I love, I’m pretty disgusted to see what Donald Trump is doing up in DC,” said the Atlanta Democrat at Wednesday’s Latino Day event in Liberty Plaza. “He’s going out of his way to hurt and scare our community. He said when he first came down that escalator, that immigrants bring drugs and crime, but I say immigrants bring opportunity and growth.”

Growing Latino influence in Georgia

Dueling Latino Days at the Georgia capitol this week provided Latino and Hispanic organizations and government officials with a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of 1.1 million residents in Georgia, including 91,000 Latino-owned businesses. Attendees at both Latino Days stressed that the overwhelming majority of people with Hispanic and Latino heritage are hardworking people who care about their communities and families.

On Tuesday, conservative Latino organizations celebrated the accomplishments of Latinos and the growing electorate that led to Trump winning 35% of their votes in 2024.

“In 2024 in Georgia, Hispanics made their voices heard in record numbers,” Martinez said. “There are 498,000 registered Hispanics in the state of Georgia. Out of that 262,000 voted in 2024. That’s a record number, and I owe it to all these folks for doing the hard work.”

According to Gigi Pedraza, Executive Director of Latino Community Fund Georgia, 55% of Latinos own homes and have a higher employment rate than other racial and ethnic groups.

“Latinos and immigrants have been intrinsically connected to the successes of Georgia as a state,” Pedraza said Wednesday. “Our community has and continues to lead in workforce participation, entrepreneurship and innovation across all sectors, regardless of documentation status, faith, race, ethnicity, gender, place of birth, and who we love.”

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

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