A Georgia state lawmaker has fired off two letters to the state attorney general seeking clarification on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests included in legislation approved last year.
“In speaking both to Georgia law enforcement charged with upholding these provisions as well as Georgia citizenry who may be impacted thereby, I believe these provisions require further clarification, under the belief that clarity of law leads to our safest, most just outcomes,” state Rep. Marvin Lim, D-Norcross, wrote in his first letter, dated June 11.
Related to my work re: Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and immigration, I am still awaiting an answer from AG Carr – prompted by both advocates AND law enforcement – re: the vague provision in HB 1105 re: ICE detainer cooperation in GA. pic.twitter.com/kJViPNyEGo
— Marvin Lim (@MarvinLimforGA) June 24, 2025
In May 2024, Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1105, the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024. It establishes booking procedures for aliens and foreign nationals and requires that Georgia law enforcement agencies work with their federal immigration counterparts.
The measure also requires jailers to submit quarterly reports and mandates the exchange and maintenance of immigration status information for people. Non-compliant law enforcement agencies could face a reduction in state funding and state-administered federal funding.
Additionally, it establishes booking procedures for aliens and foreign nationals, requires jailers to submit quarterly reports and imposes penalties for violations.
Lim sent a follow-up letter two days later. A spokesperson for Attorney General Chris Carr did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letters.
Also awaiting responses from GCPD re: their policies (which, to be clear, haven’t been delayed – this was just sent out later by me). I’ll say it again: clarity and transparency leads to the safest, most just outcomes.
— Marvin Lim (@MarvinLimforGA) June 24, 2025
Carr, who is running for governor in 2026, has positioned himself in line with President Donald Trump. For example, earlier this month, the Peach State’s top law enforcement official joined 19 other attorneys general to file a brief defending President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard amid Los Angeles’s anti-immigration enforcement riots.
In April, Lim said he sent a letter to Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor to learn more about the office’s immigration practices “to work together toward policy that the public could understand.”
“Nearly two months later, we are not closer to that clarity and transparency regarding GCSO’s immigration policies and practices,” he said in a statement last week.
Illegal immigration has been a flashpoint in the Peach State, particularly after the February 2024 murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. A Venezuelan national who entered the country illegally and was living in the liberal enclave was subsequently convicted of Riley’s murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The Republican-led legislature has passed legislation that favors law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement. In turn, liberal enclaves like Athens have rebuffed those efforts.
“House Bill 1105 embodies the Georgia House’s commitment to strengthening public safety and protecting our families and communities,” Speaker of the House Jon Burns, R-Newington, said when Kemp signed the measure.
“The tragic loss of Laken Riley on UGA’s campus serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by individuals with extensive criminal backgrounds who circumvent our immigration laws,” Burns added. “We stand united with our law enforcement agencies to uphold the integrity of our immigration system and ensure a safer future for all Georgians, and I am proud to see this legislation be signed into law.”
Separately, in April, state Rep. Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah, chairman of the House Human Relations and Aging Committee, and other lawmakers launched the Pro-Enforcement Immigration Caucus. The lawmakers said the caucus will advance immigration enforcement efforts, support law enforcement agencies and promote “the rule of law” statewide.
However, Georgia Democrats have largely sided with illegal aliens.
Georgia Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, for example, derided U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for a raid at a metro Atlanta Walmart for deploying “the same chilling tactics used in pre–Nazi Germany” only to backtrack — for mistaking the location where the arrest happened, which was actually a Home Depot. He did not respond to requests to clarify his use of Nazi-inspired rhetoric.
