DeKalb commissioner calls for end to ICE operations in county after fatal shooting

Key points:
• Ted Terry calls for withdrawal of ICE operations in DeKalb County.
• DeKalb residents have expressed concerns about masked federal units in neighborhoods.

DeKalb County Super 6 District Ted Terry is calling for a withdrawal of all tactical U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in DeKalb districts in the aftermath of the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

To that end, Terry will “walk on” a resolution during the Jan. 13 DeKalb County Board of Commissioners meeting that demands the immediate withdrawal of tactical federal immigration enforcement operations, such as “Operation Metro Surge,” from DeKalb County neighborhoods.

“My hope is to re-establish local control over our public safety environment,” Terry told Rough Draft Atlanta. “We cannot allow our neighborhoods to become ‘tactical zones’ where mothers and poets like Renee Nicole Good can be killed in uncoordinated operations. This is about accountability, transparency, and the 10th Amendment right of DeKalb County to manage its own streets.”

Weekend protests in metro Atlanta

Over the weekend, hundreds protested in Midtown Atlanta, Fayetteville, and East Cobb, denouncing the immigration agency and calling for justice in the killing of the 37-year-old wife and mom. The officer who fatally shot Good, Jonathan Ross, does not face any charges in the shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended Ross, but the FBI is currently investigating the use of deadly force.

Related story:
• Reports say woman killed by ICE was part of LGBTQ community

Other commissioners are in support of the resolution, with the goal that the board will be unified about the best steps to keep neighborhoods safe, Terry said. DeKalb residents have reached out to the board with concerns about varying federal policies about the tactical nature of recent surges, Terry said.

“Many DeKalb residents are rightfully alarmed that masked federal units are operating in residential areas without coordination with our local police,” he said. 

Next steps

Terry said he would like to work alongside DeKalb County CEO Lorrain Cochran-Johnson to review discretionary agreements to ensure DeKalb County resources are not used during federal maneuvers that “bypass” the local safety and transparency protocols. The resolution is a formal request to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

“The resolution is a formal declaration that these uncoordinated, tactical surges are a threat to the public peace in DeKalb,” he said.

Community members are invited to attend the commission meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. Jan.. 13, in the Multipurpose Room A1201, Shirley A. Trussell Building, 178 Sam’s St., Decatur.

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