Morning, y’all! I have to tell you, I was feeling all of the weekend’s wild storms in a little cabin up a mountain south of Asheville. I haven’t heard wind blow like that in a long time. Parts of the South and Midwest are still dealing with the severe weather fallout, and the storms have claimed at least 41 lives.
Let’s get to it.
GOV. KEMP DOUBLES DOWN ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Gov. Brian Kemp is seeking federal approval to expand the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s participation in a controversial program that allows state officers to perform some of the functions of federal immigration agents.
The program is called 287(g), and it already has a history in Georgia.
- As of last year, Georgia law requires sheriffs to apply for 287(g) or other immigration enforcement partnerships. Enforcement has been inconsistent, though.
- Proponents of the new plan call it “a force multiplier.”
- Critics say it will sow fear and make communities less safe.
The 287(g) program is rife with abuse, racial profiling, and human rights violations and has led to an atmosphere of terror among migrant communities. The State of Georgia's participation in the intensified targeting of our Brown and Black community members will lead to less safe communities for us all.
As Kemp doubles down on hard-line immigration policies, painful reports continue to emerge of immigrants, legal residents and even alleged U.S. citizens being apprehended and imprisoned.
- Over the weekend, the Trump administration appeared to defy a court order and transferred more than 200 immigrants to El Salvador.
- Chicago activists and attorneys allege the Trump administration violated the rights of 22 people, including a U.S. citizen, while carrying out immigration arrests.
- A doctor from Lebanon who is also a professor at Brown University was deported over the weekend despite having a U.S. visa. Homeland Security officials said she was removed because she “openly” supported a Hezbollah leader.
- Here’s the story of Jhoan Bastidas, a Venezuelan man who spent 16 days at Guantanamo Bay. Hundreds of Venezuelans have been deported from the U.S. and sent there under the claim they are part of the violent gang Tren de Aragua. Bastidas said authorities used his tattoos to incorrectly catalogue him as a member of the group.
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.
FULTON DA’S OFFICE WITHHELD RECORDS, JUDGE SAYS
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
A judge has ruled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office violated Georgia’s Open Records Act by withholding documents requested by a Marietta defense attorney who was looking into Willis’ hiring of a specific special prosecutor for President Donald Trump’s election interference case.
- Ashleigh Merchant said she was “completely stonewalled” by Willis’ office when she first requested the documents in September 2023 to investigate a possible romantic relationship between Willis and the special prosecutor.
- Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause said the office’s failure to produce the records was “intentional” and “not done in good faith.”
Transparency and politics: As we all know, the Atlanta-based prosecution of then-former-now-current President Donald Trump created huge political storms. While some see this latest development as a win for government transparency, it still has ties to the politics of that case.
Merchant is the defense attorney who represents Mike Roman, a Republican political operative who was among the 19 people charged by Willis’ office in the indictment that accused Trump and his allies of trying to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
GEORGIA’S CLEAN ENERGY SECTOR IS BOOMING
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
More than 82,000 Georgians worked in the clean tech industry at the end of 2024, according to a new report, and that number is expected to keep growing.
Where the money is: Most forthcoming clean tech investment in Georgia relates to EV manufacturing and supply chains.
It’s a long-term process: Companies have spent billions for sprawling plants in Georgia, and promised to create thousands of local jobs. That’s all great, but Chris Clark, president & CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, told the AJC it may take time to see the returns those investments promise.
What about cuts? Clark also says he doesn’t think the state’s clean energy goals are “at risk” from Trump’s threatened changes to federal support. Trump has shown interest in rolling back some of the broad subsidies, incentives and tax credits for EV production and renewable energy projects instituted under the Biden Administration.
🔎 READ MORE: Where Georgia’s clean energy economy is headed
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💉 Georgia legislators consider stiffer penalties for fentanyl possession and trafficking. Such a solution interprets America’s opioid epidemic through a criminal justice lens. Other solutions interpret it as a public health problem, an economic problem, or some combination of the three.
⚕️ Gov. Brian Kemp says his civil litigation overhaul would rein in insurance costs. Here are answers to key questions about what could happen to health care under his plan, from costs to hospital closings. As you’ll see, nothing about the issue is cut-and-dry.
🏳️🌈 Kentucky’s Republican lawmakers want to preserve conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth. These dangerous and controversial programs are currently restricted by the state’s governor Andy Beshear.
💵 The Atlanta-based consuls general of Canada and Mexico warned Atlanta leaders the ongoing tariff war will hurt consumers and businesses. The consulates told the Rotary Club of Atlanta they want to work toward a productive solution.
ATLANTA SCHOOLS LEADER WANTS TO GO ‘BACK TO BASICS’
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Bryan Johnson sat down with the AJC to talk about his vision for improving education standards in the APS system.
On the basics:
“We’ll focus on literacy, we’ll obviously focus on math, we’ll focus on workforce development, college and career readiness ...”
On improving special education:
“There’s a ton of work to do with our support of families and students.”
On concerns over Department of Education cuts:
“When you think about Title I dollars, exceptional education, school nutrition … there’s obvious concern. Our advocacy will be around the needs of our students, and our conversations will be around the needs of our students.”
Johnson also says he wants to be able to increase teacher salaries. When asked about cuts, he said he wants to “drive as many resources to the schools as we possibly can.”
🔎 Read the whole conversation here.
NEWS BITES
Georgia Tech women will face Richmond in Los Angeles in first round of NCAA tourney
Eric sends his deepest regrets for not including Tech’s March Madness push in yesterday’s edition. Give ‘em hell on the West Coast!
A new poll breaks down why people participate in March Madness pools
Where do “unbearable peer pressure” and “the chance to be right about something” rank?
Iguanas likely crossed the Pacific millions of years ago on a record-setting rafting trip
A new fun fact guaranteed to stop any burgeoning conversation in its tracks!
What have Falcons’ NFC South rivals done in free agency?
Comparison is the thief of joy, unless it’s the Saints.
ON THIS DATE
March 18, 1977
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
From the front page of the Atlanta Constitution: The gunmen cut an outer hurricane fence, crossed 100 yards to cut through a second fence, dragging an acetylene torch with them. At cellblock North 5 window, they handed the torch to one of the convicts and held 14 other prisoners at bay with a carbine.
Two criminals pulled off a movie-worthy escape from the Fulton County Jail with the help of cronies from an area bank robbery gang. But wicked ways don’t win — the escapees, Willie Foster Sellers and Charles Calvin Gary, were both eventually recaptured.
ONE MORE THING
Back to Asheville — while Georgia was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, parts of Asheville were completely gutted. It’s heartbreaking to behold six months later, especially when you consider how the local economy has suffered. As an Asheville-based friend put it, the chaos has cleared just enough to reveal the extent of the damage.
As always, there’s hope under the devastation: The consistent, universal effort of cleanup crews is obvious, and everyone has a story about how their neighbors or communities have showed up for each other. If you can, pay a visit and support the city’s businesses. That’s what Southern hospitality’s about!
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
