Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA) recently published an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calling for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to establish a stronger presence in the metro Atlanta area of Georgia.
Rep. Carter’s argument is based on the arrest of dangerous criminals by ICE in Atlanta, and he cites examples listed in the Department of Homeland Security’s ‘Worst of the Worst’ database.
This includes:
- Gustavo Rivas Velasco of El Salvador was convicted of homicide and gang activity before his arrest by ICE.
- Khamphan Souvanhnakhot of Laos was arrested for homicide, aggravated assault with a weapon, negligent manslaughter with a vehicle, and willful killing with a weapon before his arrest.
- Ha Huynh of Vietnam was convicted of voluntary manslaughter before her arrest.
- Usman Momoh of Nigeria was convicted of aggravated assault with a gun before his arrest.
- Bounlom Keonet of Laos was convicted of assault and larceny before his arrest.
- Jared Morales-Morales of Mexico was convicted of assault and cruelty toward a child before his arrest.
Georgia and Immigration
To Carter, it’s insane how these people were living amongst Georgians, benefiting from social services and job opportunities. He expanded the focus of the discussion and cited a recent Migration Policy Institute report, which found that 500,000 undocumented immigrants live in Georgia.
This means that Georgia has the sixth-highest rate of illegal immigration out of the whole country. This is a 45% increase from 2018, and Carter argues that this was deliberate.
In the piece, he writes, “This was no accident; it was the intended impact of four years of runaway Democratic leadership, where undocumented immigrants, not American citizens, benefited from socialist policies that threatened the very right of our nation to exist.”
The Representative concluded by calling out Mayor Andre Dickens and demanding that he work with ICE in the future. He similarly called on Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to join him in this effort to make "Metro Atlanta safe again."
We can’t wait for another Laken Riley before we do something about the half a million illegal immigrants in Georgia.
I’m calling for a stronger ICE presence in Atlanta to make our cities safe again. @SenOssoff - instead of giving criminal illegals - convicted of murder, rape,…
— Buddy Carter (@RepBuddyCarter) January 23, 2026
