A.M. ATL: Time flies

Morning, y’all! I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re doing a good job, and no one is mad at you. At least no one important.

Let’s get to it.

WORKER SUES FEDS OVER HYUNDAI RAID

Credit: (Corey Bullard/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)

Credit: (Corey Bullard/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)

A Colombian man has filed a $2 million legal claim against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement related to last year’s massive ICE raid of Hyundai’s Metaplant campus near Savannah.

Alfredo Fajardo Melgarejo says he was arrested and imprisoned in a Folkston detention center for nine months, despite having legal authorization to work in the U.S.
His claims detail mistreatment and emotional distress in the detention center. He also says the day of the raid, masked agents acted with racial prejudice and excessive force without a warrant or probable cause.
Melgarejo was eventually deported and remains separated from his family.
His legal team is seeking $2 million in compensation from ICE on his behalf.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said “work authorization does NOT confer legal status in the United States.”
An immigration attorney told the AJC, when it comes to immigration law, the notion of “legal” or “illegal” status is more complicated than that.

🔎 READ MORE: What else the claim alleges

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CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WANT DICKENS TO THINK TWICE ABOUT BELTLINE RAIL

Credit: (Courtesy of the Atlanta BeltLine, Inc)

Nearly a year and a half after local leaders secretly voted to halt a Beltline rail project, several Atlanta City Council members are urging the mayor’s administration to reconsider.

The members want Mayor Andre Dickens’ office to collaborate with MARTA and Atlanta Beltline Inc. to get a plan and timeline in place. Supporters noted widespread public support for expanding public transit in the city.
A multiyear transit study unveiled last week suggests building all 22 miles of a light rail system spanning all 22 miles of the Beltline could generate about 4.2 million trips annually, according to a newly unveiled multiyear transit study.
However, funding is a huge hurdle. Light rail alone could cost at least $3.5 billion, and the new MARTA stations along the system could add an estimated $1.3 billion.

🔎 READ MORE: More of the latest news from City Hall

REMEMBERING 9/11, 25 YEARS LATER

Credit: (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Twenty-five years. Wow. Unsurprisingly, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, still number among the most important historic events in many Americans’ lifetimes, according to a new poll.

Here’s some AJC coverage on this monumental anniversary:

How do you explain a terrorist attack to fourth graders? AJC education reporter Martha Dalton was an elementary school teacher on 9/11. All of a sudden, she found herself having to answer impossible questions about war and death.
“I felt more American than I ever had — and more out of place than ever.” The events of 9/11 ignited waves of anti-Muslim hatred across America that are sadly still felt today. One Atlanta man describes his complicated feelings as an American Muslim in the weeks after the attack.
A day to honor first responders: The founder of a local nonprofit talks about her work that helped move the state of Georgia to pass House Bill 373, which designated Sept. 11 as a day of recognition for first responders statewide. (P.S.: As she points out, 911 operators and emergency medical services are also first responders, so don’t forget about them.)

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🫏 Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in Fulton County with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff days before the midterm elections, fueling speculation about Democrats’ 2028 presidential designs.

⚖️ Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger added his voice to a bipartisan group of elected officials urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the Trump administration’s plans to use the U.S. Postal Service to vet voters for the November election. They say it’s too late in the game to implement such a plan, since many states will soon start issuing ballots.

NEWS BITES

Will the Falcons end playoff drought? AJC writers offer season predictions

Hope springs eternal.

Country artist Kane Brown honored to be celebrated with bobblehead giveaway by his beloved Braves

Getting bobbleheaded is a sure sign you’ve made it. Getting bobbleheaded by your favorite hometown team? A next-level wildest dream. (Yes, we’re going to make “bobblehead” a verb now.)

Gold, gems and Renoir: France’s museums suffer wave of smash-and-grab thefts

The new Ocean’s 11 movie is a little too immersive.

The planet Mercury is wrinkly and shrinking faster than expected, scientists say

Leave Mercury alone! We all age in our own way.

ON THIS DATE

Sept. 11, 2001

Credit: AJC

Attack on America. Today was another day that shall forever live in infamy as terror rained from the sky in New York and Washington. … It was the scene of a nightmare: people on fire jumping in terror from the Trade Towers just before the buildings collapsed. … Dust and dirt flew everywhere. Ash was 2 to 3 inches deep in places. People wandered dazed and terrified.

I was prepared to write some “where were you”-type words, which may have been interesting since I was in high school right outside of Washington, D.C. at the time and basically everyone worked downtown.

You know what? No. Thinking about it makes me tired. And sad. We all have a story, and remembrance doesn’t mean you need to trot out the same trauma year after year. If that helps you, by all means, but it’s not an obligation.

ONE MORE THING

It was a new moon last night. If you’ve been thinking about trying something new, let this be your sign. Do the dang thing!

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.

Until next time.

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ICE faces $2M claim over unprecedented raid at Hyundai site in Georgia

One of the 475 workers arrested by ICE during an unprecedented raid on a Hyundai factory in Georgia last year has filed a $2 million legal claim against the agency.

48m ago