Athens' Immigrant Community is holding a protest Friday evening at City Hall. Organizers of the “No More Lies! No More Deportations!" event say they are calling for an end to a decision by the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office to work with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, or ICE. Members of the undocumented community and allies are rallying at City Hall at 6 o’ clock Friday. They are calling for the reversal and termination of that change in policy.
Representatives Deborah Gonzalez and Jonathan Wallace have issued a joint statement on the department’s ICE policy change. They express concern regarding the decision to turn over undocumented immigrants to U.S. Immigration Control and Enforcement, or ICE. The statement reads: “We ask the sheriff to respect the wishes of our mutual constituents and return to a community policing focus that puts local public safety first. If local agencies continue to comply with ICE, we could jeopardize the constitutional rights of individuals, divide our communities and increase costs to tax payers."
The policy was changed in July 2017. The ACC Police Department does not inquire about immigrant status, unless serving warrants for serious crimes.
Those who are directly affected by deportation will address protestors at the gathering at City Hall.