Georgia Democrats are fracturing over Trump's hardline immigration agenda

ATLANTA — When President Donald Trump made a measure named for a slain Georgia nursing student the first law he signed in his second term, it crystallized a deepening Democratic divide over immigration that could remake the generations-old debate.

The widespread protests over Trump’s hard-line immigration policies that united most Georgia Democrats after his first presidential win in 2016 have given way to a complex and ongoing political reckoning over an issue that helped the Republican secure his comeback.

While many state Democrats remain staunchly opposed to stricter measures, and some condemned the wave of arrests by immigration authorities last week, others say they’re ready to work with Republicans to address voter concerns over migration.

That shift became more pronounced during the debate over the Laken Riley Act, a measure authored by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson that garnered support from 58 congressional Democrats, including four from Georgia.

The measure, named for the Georgia nursing student who authorities say was killed by a Venezuelan native in the country illegally, requires federal agents to detain and potentially deport migrants accused of a range of crimes.

But the support for that law, which Trump signed in a ceremony on Wednesday, is only part of a shifting political climate. Democrats are seeking ways to counter relentless GOP attacks that painted them as weak on border security, tolerant of illegal crossings and supportive of amnesty.

“We lost the argument on immigration,” said state Sen. Emanuel Jones of Decatur, a veteran Democratic legislator seeking a deep-blue Atlanta-based U.S. House seat in 2026, on the “Politically Georgia” podcast.

“We allowed the Republicans to lead. We should have taken the lead in coming up with an immigration policy and immigration strategy that we could embrace as a party and one that we could go out and communicate effectively to our constituents. We did not do that.”

‘Hit a nerve’

The recalibration is unfolding in surprising ways. Both Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock broke party ranks to support the Republican-backed immigration measure, as did U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop of Albany and Lucy McBath of Marietta.

Warnock was also one of 13 Democratic senators who signed on to a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune that pledged to find ways to work with Republicans “in good faith to craft legislation that can achieve bipartisan support.”

“While there will be challenges, addressing the pressing needs of our nations’ borders and finding bipartisan solutions to our outdated immigration system are too important to ignore in the 119th Congress,” read the letter.

Some Democratic leaders, still wincing from their November defeat, were conspicuously silent as Trump took the first steps to initiate his promised deportation of immigrants who don’t have permanent legal status.

Trump’s allies aim to harness the momentum. Buoyed by the bipartisan support for the Laken Riley Act, congressional Republicans drafted plans to press other immigration laws — and a $100 billion budget item to finance Trump’s border and deportation initiatives.

House Republicans have already passed another measure to mandate deportation for some accused domestic abusers of uncertain immigration status that drew 61 Democratic votes even though many of its provisions are already enshrined in law.

And under Georgia’s Gold Dome, key Republicans are rallying behind a Senate measure that would require all sheriffs and jailers to comply with detainer requests from federal immigration authorities.

State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, said GOP leaders are also exploring other measures to strengthen the “state partnership” with Trump’s agenda as his immigration policy take shape.

“President Trump obviously hit a nerve with a lot of voters,” said Gaines, who added that lawmakers will consider “what we can replicate at the state-level” to deter illegal migration.

‘A comprehensive package’

The shift underscores the tricky politics for Democrats, whose party leaders have splintered over immigration policies.

While some progressive figures are demanding more forceful opposition to Trump’s executive orders, similar to the leftward shift after Trump’s 2016 victory, others advocate working with Republicans on tougher border measures and increased enforcement.

Polls of Georgia voters show a complicated landscape. Many Georgians, particularly conservatives, cited immigration as a key factor at the ballot box last year as Trump anchored his campaign on sweeping promises of large-scale deportations.

Yet an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll published this month showed that roughly 60% believe there should be a way for most people who have come to the U.S. unlawfully to “stay in the country legally if certain requirements are met.”

State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Savannah Democrat, reflected his party’s struggles over immigration shortly after authorities made arrests in his district and other cities across Georgia.

Mallow said he, too, would have voted for the Laken Riley Act if he were in Congress. But he also criticized the piecemeal approach to immigration, arguing that voters want a sweeping overhaul that Congress has long failed to deliver.

“What Americans wanted — and what Americans voted for — was a comprehensive package. They wanted to see the actual system fixed, right?” he said. “They want to see some implementation of a plan.”

But other state Democrats have questioned the act’s legality, while immigrant advocates warn that widespread arrests could prompt a surge in costly new detention facilities and put more burdens on law enforcement agencies.

High stakes

The Republican-backed immigration measures pose some of the stiffest challenges for Ossoff, who needs to woo a significant number of Trump supporters to win another term in 2026.

A “no” vote on these measures could quickly become campaign fodder for his Republican opponents, while his support tougher border policies or deportation measures could alienate the Democratic base.

“This murder shook the state of Georgia, shook the whole country. And we have a prospect here of working together across the aisle,” Ossoff told CNN of his support for the measure.

“My obligation is not to consider the politics, but to consider the state’s interest and the national interests, and that’s what I’ll be doing.”

Gov. Brian Kemp, who is being intensely recruited to challenge Ossoff, laid out the Republican approach in an interview defending Trump’s decision to allow immigration arrests in places like churches and schools.

“If you’re in the country illegally, you should not be here,” said Kemp told the AJC. “They’re going to have to live with the decisions they made. And for people who are here and are criminal illegals, there absolutely should be no safe space for them. We should arrest them and deport them — or put them in jail.”

For Democrats, the latest immigration arrests over the weekend have only heightened over Trump’s policies.

At least 20 people were arrested by authorities who launched “targeted” actions around Georgia. Among them was a 36-year-old man who was detained outside a Tucker church. His wife said he crossed the border illegally in 2022 and was released by authorities to pursue an asylum case after fleeing Honduras because of gang violence.

Some prominent Democrats declined comment on the arrests or said they were awaiting more details. Others said the crackdown has intensified anxiety and uncertainty among immigrant communities since Trump’s election.

State Rep. Sam Park of Lawrenceville, one of the Georgia House’s top Democrats, blamed the wave of arrests on “Republican anti-immigrant fervor that prioritizes fear over solutions” and warned they could disrupt communities across the state.

“While I support efforts to remove violent criminals,” Park said, “indiscriminately targeting hardworking immigrants who contribute to Georgia’s industries and local businesses only disrupts economic stability and tears families apart. Georgians deserve better.”

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