GA House minority leader warns against immigration enforcement violence coming here
Georgia House of Representatives minority leader Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus) issued a statement Monday objecting to federal immigration enforcement activities and a proposed detention center in Social Circle.
“Our nation watched with deep concern as events unfolded in Minnesota, resulting in the tragic deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti,” she said in the news release. “These losses represent a profound failure of policy and humanity, and our hearts go out to their families and communities during this difficult time.”
Reuters reported the fatal shooting of Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday “added to a mounting death toll in U.S. President Donald Trump’s intensifying immigration push this month, increasing scrutiny on the crackdown as backlash builds.”
The incident is one of five shootings in January involving federal agents conducting immigration enforcement, Reuters noted, including the fatal shooting of Good.
“Now, we learn that the Trump Administration plans to open a large-scale detention center in Social Circle, Georgia — a move that threatens to bring the same chaos and heartbreak we’ve witnessed in Minnesota to our own communities here in Georgia,” Hugley said.
CBS News reported Friday that U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) and Social Circle Mayor David Keener oppose this plan.
Hugley said the Trump Administration “refuses to acknowledge: that our local communities simply cannot absorb the strain of massive federal detention operations. These facilities overwhelm local infrastructure, drain community resources, and most importantly, tear apart the fabric of families and neighborhoods.
“We cannot — and will not — stand by while the administration replicates its failed Minnesota approach here in Georgia. Our children should not have to fear that their parents won’t come home. Our families should not live in constant terror. Our communities deserve better than to become testing grounds for policies that have already proven devastating elsewhere.”
Hugley urged “Georgia’s entire Congressional delegation to take immediate action to prevent this detention center from moving forward. This is not a partisan issue—this is about protecting Georgia families, supporting our local leaders, and ensuring our communities remain safe and whole.”
