Georgia advocates raise concerns over ICE enforcement and fear in rural communities

National concern over immigration enforcement is growing, including in Georgia, as advocacy groups point to videos circulating online that show how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests are being carried out.

In Georgia, organizers say what they’re seeing does not align with federal claims that enforcement efforts are focused primarily on violent crime.

Kris Mecholsky, cofounder of Savannah Indivisible, said the footage tells a different story.

“We’re not seeing videos of people being taken in from gangs. We’re seeing videos of people being taken from courtrooms, from churches, from their houses, from work, from school.”

Advocates say aggressive immigration enforcement is creating fear and isolation across the state, particularly in rural communities where ICE activity is often less visible and occurs away from public scrutiny.

Mecholsky said that fear has been keeping families silent for years — even before the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis brought renewed national attention to enforcement practices.

“I think there’s a whole lot more suffering going on in every community than most Americans are aware of. Our group has been trying to help the affected families in our area… because these families are terrified.”

She added that while immigration policy is set at the federal level, local governments in Georgia still have authority when it comes to how ICE operates within their communities.

Some towns, Mecholsky said, are already pushing back against expanded detention infrastructure and cooperation with federal enforcement.

“In Georgia, there’s a town that is trying to prevent the building of a new detention center in its area. The federal government can’t just force cities and counties to arrest people and build detention centers. We have mechanisms to fight those.”

Advocates say increased transparency, local oversight and community-based support are critical as immigration enforcement continues to expand beyond major cities and into smaller, rural areas of the state.