Decatur: We Are Not A Sanctuary City

DECATUR, GA — City of Decatur leaders on Monday accused Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle of political showmanship after a complaint filed by Cagle accusing the DeKalb County seat of being a "sanctuary city" made public progress just days before he will appear on the ballot in the race for governor.

On Saturday, two members of the state's 7-member Immigration Enforcement Review Board sided with Cagle in a proposed opinion that was leaked to reporters ahead of Tuesday's primary elections, in which Cagle faces four other candidate's for the GOP nomination.

Cagle had filed the complaint as a private citizen. But, according to Decatur officials and an ethics complaint filed against him, attorneys and staffers from his taxpayer-funded office have worked on the case.

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The opinion says Decatur violated state law last year by adopting rules that limit its cooperation with federal immigration officials. The full board will not vote on that ruling until next month — well after Tuesday's primaries.

Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett, who welcomed reporters to what she said "has become, for us, a theater of the absurd," said Monday that Decatur "is not a sanctuary city and has no intentions of becoming one."

"And, yet, that message has gone unheard and has resulted in one of the most bizarre legal proceedings that can be imagined," Garrett said. "What we are is a community that values quality of life for all — residents and visitors alike."

Garrett said Decatur has rebuffed repeated requests to officially declare itself a sanctuary city and that city policies are in line with multiple others that have never been accused.

She noted that the immigration board members acted "three days prior to a hotly contested gubernatorial primary" and noted Cagle's involvement in an "ever changing role — as a private citizen or his role as a state official or his role as a candidate for governor, whichever serves his purpose and the purposes of the board."

City Attorney Bryan Downs doubled down on claims that the board ruling was politically motivated.

"Private citizen Cagle's complaint is clearly meant to be a political gift to candidate Cagle, three days before the primary," Downs said. "And, yet, the taxpayer funded office of the lieutenant governor has handled this entire matter on behalf of individual Casey Cagle."

Decatur does not have a jail and has never had a request to detain anyone by federal immigration officials, Downs said. He said Decatur Police "are arresting and will continue to arrest dangerous criminals."

Under the ruling that the two board members are backing, Decatur could lose state funding due to a policy that says no one should be arrested based solely on a request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The county seat of DeKalb County, Decatur is a liberal enclave in a state where Republicans control the governor's mansion, both chambers of the legislature and every statewide elected office.

It was one of three cities originally targeted on Day One of state Sen. Michael Williams' so-called "Deportation Bus" tour last week. Williams, one of Cagle's primary opponents, also called the city a "sanctuary city" and ran into a crowd of protesters when he brought his anti-illegal immigration message there on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy City of Decatur