Weather postpones nearly all of Saturday’s anti-ICE protests in metro Atlanta

A rally that Indivisible Cobb had planned to host near Home Depot’s corporate headquarters in Vinings was also postponed to Feb. 7.

Another rally, widely shared on social media, that the Atlanta branch of the Party for Socialism & Liberation planned to hold on Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners was canceled.

A small handful of people with signs opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed up to Historic Fourth Ward Park on Saturday for what was supposed to be a march up the Beltline to Piedmont Park.

A similarly small group — fluctuating between three and seven people — gathered Saturday morning in downtown Woodstock to support Trump and ICE. They were slightly outnumbered by about 10 members of progressive group Woodstock CAN.

As of Saturday afternoon, three anti-ICE protests scheduled for Sunday in Atlanta had not been canceled.

Organizers have also cited the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis as a galvanizing factor.

“I think that’s really jolted the country, to realize that this is not just an immigration or an immigrant community issue,” said Alberto Feregrino, an immigrant from Mexico and Atlanta-based organizer with immigration advocacy group CASA, earlier this week to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This is everybody’s issue, right? This is all of our rights under attack.”

The pro-Trump and pro-ICE flag rally organized by the Turning Point USA Georgia Network drew supporters who said they were there to publicly back federal immigration enforcement.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Vernon Jones, a former DeKalb County CEO and former state legislator, said he came to Woodstock in 21-degree weather to show solidarity with ICE officers and to advocate for stricter enforcement of immigration law.

Jones said his support is rooted in what he sees as unequal enforcement of existing laws.

“If you came in this country illegally, you broke the law,” he said. “You’re subject to a fine or to be imprisoned. It’s on the books. It’s the law.”

David Sciacca, who said he recently joined Turning Point USA and is also involved with the Cherokee County Republican Party, said his family’s immigration history shapes his views.

“My parents came over from Sicily, they did it legally,” he said. “I am all for legal immigration, absolutely,” he added. “We need immigrants like everybody else.”

But Sciacca said he opposes using public resources to support people in the country unlawfully.

“I don’t think my taxes should have to pay for an illegal,” he said.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Just down the street, counter protesters held their own signs and said they were motivated by concerns about immigration enforcement, democratic norms and political polarization.

Pat Fagan, a Woodstock resident who said he has been attending protests regularly for the past two years, stood bundled against the cold.

A former Republican, Fagan said his political views have shifted over time.

He said the current approach to immigration enforcement has deepened national divisions.

“ICE has gotten out of hand. There’s no doubt about it,” Fagan said.

“There’s an immigration problem. To get those people out of here will take 14 years and millions of dollars and a lot of heartache.”

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Students walked out of some metro Atlanta high schools to protest ICE in recent days. Some stores closed Friday as part of a nationwide anti-ICE strike. And in Minneapolis, Bruce Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello performed Friday at a benefit concert for the families of Pretti and Good as thousands protested.