DHS issues scathing rebuke after former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms touts cutting ties with ICE

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms highlighted her past move to cut ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2018 as mayor of Atlanta, prompting a strong rebuke from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday.

In her speech, she recalled her musician father's struggle with addiction, saying that her first tour around Georgia was visiting him at various prisons. She said this helped teach her the value of "seeing the humanity in people" even those who have made mistakes or "had a different pathway to this country."

"When I was mayor of Atlanta, when ICE had the family separation policy in our state, in our nation, I made the decision to end our multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement with ICE because all money ain't good money," Bottoms said. "And when we did that, other cities followed, counties followed, other states followed and it made a difference."

"The only difference this anti-law enforcement, pro-criminal illegal alien, former mayor made was to obstruct federal immigration laws, making Atlanta-area communities a hotbed for illegal immigration on her watch," a spokesperson for DHS said.

"ICE does not separate families. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates," the statement continued. "This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement."

The spokesperson made the case that cooperating with ICE is commonsense policy.

"When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities," the statement added.

The spokesperson shared mugshots of illegal aliens arrested in Atlanta for crimes ranging from "strongarm rape" and sexual offenses toward a child to "threat-terroristic state offenses."