Morning, y’all! You know how people say they can feel storms coming in their trick knee or bad shoulder? Be prepared for that, because there’s a big storm brewing out west that could bring tornadoes our way later this week. You can trust me. Both my scapulae went to meteorology school.
Let’s get to it.
GA. IMMIGRANTS BRACE FOR MORE
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
After President Donald Trump took office in January, immigrant communities around the country, including in Georgia, were shaken by a very loud, very public wave of arrests and deportations.
It’s quieter now. Immigrants, advocates and attorneys have their own theories as to why. The question is, are they past the worst of it, or just in the eye of the storm?
- Facilities are at capacity: U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has been running out of room at detention centers to house arrested immigrants.
- Personnel are, too: ICE has lost some of the temporary help it got to take on Trump’s anti-immigration mission. Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar,” has asked for more funds to scale up ICE’s operations.
- Resistance is stronger: America Gruner, a long-time Georgia immigration advocate, told the AJC immigrants are better informed about their rights than they used to be, thanks to the activist work on the ground.
In fact, Gruner says some immigrant communities felt more endangered under the policies of past administrations. She called the Trump administration’s efforts “a lot of propagandizing.”
There are still serious dangers afoot. People feel more free to accost others over their supposed immigration status. Immigration communication from the White House has been coarse and divisive. Those who do get arrested have less recourse through the courts, and laws and local judiciaries are being primed to mete out more restrictive immigration policies.
Credit: Steve Schaefer/Special to AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/Special to AJC
If you read one thing today, let it be this great piece from the AJC’s Rosie Manins, who spent a day at the immigration court downtown on Ted Turner Drive. It clarifies some common confusions about the immigration process, including:
- How people can enter the country illegally but still be in accordance with the law: Asylum status and special visas can help someone who entered the U.S. stay in the U.S. under certain compliances.
- How easy it is to stay in the U.S. while undocumented: It’s not. Of all asylum applications, only about 35% end up being granted.
- Immigration courts are not criminal courts: They’re civil. However, that means there’s a difference in how each case is handled and what kind of support is provided.
Let’s be honest: Immigration’s a tough subject. A lot of us simply don’t have the firsthand experience to see all the parts of the picture. But we know more today than we did yesterday, and that’s the goal, right?
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
NEW ATL WATERSHED HEAD INCOMING
Credit: Courtesy of the City of Atlanta
Credit: Courtesy of the City of Atlanta
Former Houston Water Director James “Gregory” Eyerly has been tapped to lead Atlanta’s embattled Department of Watershed Management. To say he’s inheriting challenges would be a massive, almost laughable understatement. Here are just some of the department’s ongoing issues:
🤢 overhauling the city’s outdated water infrastructure, including faulty systems that have led to sewage leaks and hundreds of millions in unpaid water bills
🚱 tackling problems at the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center, which has been slapped with dozens of violations, $300,000 in fines from regulators and a federal lawsuit for releasing high levels of bacteria into the Chattahoochee
💧 working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is slated to conduct a $1 million assessment of the city’s water pipes
⏱️ meeting tight deadlines: The department needs to close out a decades-long federal consent decree expiring in 2027. It also hopes to complete a lot of infrastructure work before Atlanta hosts part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It would also be great if Eyerly, who has 30 years of watershed management experience, stays out of trouble. His predecessor, Watershed Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina, was sentenced to more than four years in prison in April 2023 after being found guilty of conspiracy and federal program bribery.
CASE CLOSED ON OCONEE
The case of Joycelyn Wilson and Gary Jones will be closed, says Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. Jones’ body was found on Lake Oconee over the weekend, a month after his fiancée Wilson was found dead near the couple’s empty boat.
That means we may never know what happened to the couple, who were at the lake to celebrate a birthday and due to be married this month. But the families and friends of the popular Atlanta educators can now move forward with their grief.
“I’ve never seen this level of media attention on a drowning in my entire career,” Sills said. “Apparently both of them were well thought of.”
READ MORE: Where the Oconee case stands after discovery of Jones’ body
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
✂️ The Trump Administration has finished its USAID purge and eliminated 83% of the decades-old agency’s programs, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
🔌 Ontario wasn’t kidding. Canada’s most populous province has slapped a 25% tax increase on electricity exported to 1.5 million American homes and businesses in response to Trump’s trade war.
🏭 This isn’t your daddy’s (or mommy’s) factory job. That’s the new pitch from Georgia’s manufacturers, who are looking to court younger talent in the workforce. The Georgia Association of Manufacturers will spend $1 million over four years for a revamped digital jobs platform.
SAVANNAH TO VOTE ON NEW SCHOOLS
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Next week, Savannah residents will vote on the first of three proposed penny sales taxes to fund projects to keep up with the city’s growth.
First up: The renewal of an Educational Special Purpose Local Sales Tax, or ESPLOST, which would pay for dozens of new schools around Chatham County, as well as renovations and facility upgrades.
The referendum vote is next Tuesday, March 18.
Later this year, Savannah will weigh in on two other taxes to tackle critical infrastructure improvements. Learn more about the penny sales tax trio here.
NEWS BITES
Climate change could also mess with the Earth’s orbit, study says
That’s right, now it’s outer space’s problem, too.
Star 94.1’s parent company guts local staff, leaving only Jenn Hobby
Yikes all around.
How AI technology is helping make your wines
No! Get your grubby AI mitts off the sacred nectar!
Can you ace this Atlanta Braves history quiz?
Be warned, it’s a tough one.
New ‘Touch Grass’ app makes you actually step outside before scrolling
Hear me out: This is good, actually.
ON THIS DATE
March 11, 1982
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Henry County Sheriff Jimmy Glass was found guilty on all counts of drug smuggling and abuse of his office with which he was charged today in federal court.
Glass and a handful of other county officials — including the police chief — all reportedly helped smugglers get quaaludes and cocaine through the local airport. An Atlanta scandal for the ages.
ONE MORE THING
Got any tips for scrolling less? Take it from a longtime media professional: All of us are getting way too much information in our daily scrolling sprees. I try to replace my phone habits with fiddly hobbies, like lock picking. Highly recommend.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
