ATLANTA — A group of Cobb County Democratic state lawmakers is turning up the heat on the Marietta Police Department after the department moved to enter a federal 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We chose the ‘Task Force’ option as we do not operate a jail, and this was the only applicable option,” the Marietta Police Department said in a statement, WSB-TV reported. “The officer we assigned is a current employee and not someone hired for a new role. That officer is still in their normal role carrying out the same functions.”
Reps. Lisa Campbell of Kennesaw, Mary Frances Williams of Marietta, Solomon Adesanya of Marietta and Gabriel Sanchez of Smyrna said they met in person with Marietta Police Chief David Beam on Saturday, Feb. 21, after learning of the agreement through media reports. The lawmakers said they wanted to understand how the decision was made, what operational rules would govern the program, and what transparency and oversight would be in place.
The legislators said they raised concerns about how the agreement could affect public trust in local policing, arguing that residents should be able to call police, report crimes and seek help without fear that routine interactions could turn into immigration enforcement encounters. They also said they pressed for safeguards to prevent racial profiling and for clear public reporting on how the policy would be implemented.
The lawmakers said they plan to keep working with Marietta officials and local leadership on oversight and accountability measures, framing the issue as a public safety and community trust matter as much as an immigration policy dispute.
The 287(g) program allows state and local law enforcement agencies, under agreements with ICE, to perform certain immigration enforcement functions. The lawmakers’ statement did not call for the agreement to be rescinded outright, but it emphasized de-escalation, transparency and constitutional protections as the city moves forward.
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