Number of migrants seeking asylum in Georgia likely broke records in May

Georgia took in a likely record-breaking number of migrants seeking asylum in May, joining other states such as New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.

That’s according to immigration court data showing where migrants with new deportation cases aimed to settle, as compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). In a report published last month, TRAC notes that most individuals newly in deportation proceedings are migrants who entered the U.S. at the southern border without authorization. They will have to appear in immigration court to show they are eligible for asylum or other forms of deportation relief.

In May, the number of Georgia migrants with new deportation cases was 4,963. The single biggest group are Venezuelans (1,493) followed by Mexicans (754) and Colombians (643). Most would have arrived as part of a two-year-long border surge that seems to have started to subside on May 11, when the Biden administration replaced a pandemic-era border rule known as Title 42 with a more punitive framework.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than half of border agents’ migrant encounters in May took place in the first 11 days of the month.

May’s record of 4,963 migrants summoned to appear in immigration court to face deportation proceedings exceeds Georgia’s previous peak of 3,759 recorded during the Trump administration four years earlier, in May 2019.

Sarah Owings, an Atlanta-based immigration attorney, says that, while the current Georgia deportation cases seem to be mostly tied to the surge at the border, 2019 was a different story. Back then, more ramped up immigration enforcement within the state also contributed to the deportation numbers and put even longtime residents at risk. In the metro area, sheriffs in Cobb and Gwinnett partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deputized local law enforcement to act as immigration agents.

“Everything was designed to kind of streamline this pipeline towards deportation. And that’s not really happening the same way right now,” Owings said.

Among President Joe Biden’s first acts in office was to narrow enforcement priorities, directing ICE agents to focus on migrants deemed a threat to public safety. In response, two states sued to try to force the federal government to arrest and deport more people, but the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration in an 8-1 decision released last month.

The Georgia record hit in May for new deportation proceedings was driven by county-level records in Gwinnett (1,307 new deportation cases), DeKalb (643), Cobb (475), Hall (236) and Clayton (138).

Owings said that a perception of a strong Georgia economy is likely fueling recent migrants’ decisions to settle here, in the absence of a politically motivated busing campaign targeting the state.

“People see it as a good climate for jobs.”

She added that past failures and delays on the part of border agents to file immigration court documents may impact historical trends around new deportation cases.

Newly arrived migrants’ plans may also be fluid. Their final destinations in the U.S. may change, and there could be a lag before that information is updated in the immigration court system.

A change of rules at the border

Since the onset of the pandemic, a public health rule known as Title 42 allowed for the swift expulsion of most migrants at the border.

In the leadup to that policy’s scheduled end on May 11, there were fears of an imminent and overwhelming migration surge, with Biden himself floating the possibility of a “chaotic” border situation.

But, by some measures, the set of policies that replaced Title 42 made getting into the country and applying for asylum even more difficult. Starting May 12, encounters between border officials and migrants at the border fell almost immediately, even if they remain generally above historic levels.

Angel, a migrant from Venezuela, said he didn’t fully understand the changes that would take place after May 11, but he figured it would be in his best interest to try to cross into the U.S. before then. He turned himself into border officials on May 5, and was processed and released to Brownsville, Texas on May 7. He asked that the AJC withhold his last name because of his immigration status.

“I had faith in God that it would work out,” he said. Angel had initially planned to move to Atlanta, but there was a problem with the acquaintance he had planned to stay with in the city. Angel is now in Florida. He already found work and is eager to send money back home to his wife and three children.

“I want to give them a better quality of life,” he said. “In Venezuela, I didn’t even earn enough to be able to take them out to McDonald’s.”

According to CBP data, migrant apprehensions between official ports of entry plunged from an average of roughly 9,000 per day at the beginning of the month to 3,500 per day from May 12 through May 31. The number of overall border encounters fell from 211,000 in April to 204,000 in May.

“As a result of comprehensive planning and preparation efforts, there has been a significant reduction in encounters along the Southwest border” since May 11, said Troy A. Miller, the senior official performing the duties of CBP commissioner.

It is unclear whether the drop in migrant encounters represents a new normal or a temporary reprieve. Numbers could begin to creep back up as the economic and public safety conditions driving people from their countries remain.