Columbus police chief responds to rumors of ICE raids. Sheriff says other agency in city
Rumors about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in Columbus have been spreading around social media. Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis says otherwise.
Mathis told the Ledger-Enquirer in a statement, “There is no evidence that ICE is currently conducting any operations or immigration raids in the Columbus area.”
Mathis said the Columbus Police Department is committed to enforcing the laws without profiling any individual or group in the Columbus community.
“Our focus remains on upholding the laws that are on the books while treating all members of the community with fairness and respect,” Mathis said.
The Ledger-Enquirer reached out to ICE but received no answer as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff: Another federal agency has been working in Columbus
When asked whether ICE was currently conducting any operations in Muscogee County and whether ICE had recently conducted any raids related to immigration status, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman said, “Last week, I had a supervisor with a federal agency visit my office to advise me that he and a few agents would be in Muscogee County working to search for illegals with criminal warrants.”
When asked to clarify which agency it was, Countryman said it was the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates a wide range of potential federal crimes including “the illegal movement of people, goods, money, contraband, weapons and sensitive technology into, out of and through the United States,” according to the agency’s website.
Countryman said he advised the supervisor the MCSO would not be involved with the assignment. Countryman said he did agree to allow those with criminal warrants to be temporarily housed in the Muscogee County jail.
Countryman said that to his understanding, the Muscogee County jail is housing eight people related to HSI’s investigations.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 5:35 PM.