*Migrant Equity In the Press*
*Migrant Equity In the Press*
Migrant Equity SouthEast Leads ‘Day at the Capitol’ To Advocate For Immigrant Rights Amid Rising Rates of Deportations and Detentions Violating Constitutional and Civil Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2026
Chatham County, GA - On March 31, 2026, Migrant Equity SouthEast (MESE) convened several immigrant rights organizations, families, and constituents from across Coastal Georgia to meet with Georgia State Representatives to advocate for the rights and safety of immigrants and refugees at the Georgia State Capitol. The advocates met with Representative Anne Allen Westbrook and others to highlight that now is a time for action in this moment of mounting fear, rising rates of deportations and detentions without due process, and ongoing violations of constitutional and civil rights.
Immigrants and refugees are the backbone of the agricultural, manufacturing, and construction industries in Coastal Georgia and their fear of being seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on their way to work has led to increased work stoppages and cascading economic precarity across the region. If not for immigrants, the agricultural industry would cease to exist. Immigrants make up two-thirds of all farmworkers and Georgia has the second highest number of federal H-2A visas in the country – filling up about 60% of agricultural jobs and contributing $74 billion in economic impact. Despite being essential workers, immigrant farmworkers regardless of status are afraid to show up to work due to ICE raids while simultaneously being underpaid, living in inhumane conditions and vulnerable to labor exploitation and human trafficking by the people contracting them.
Immigrants are also a critical labor force in auto manufacturing in Coastal Georgia. The Hyundai Metaplant ICE raid on September 4, 2025, which detained over 475 workers, caused a $2.4 million financial loss in one single day, and triggered a two- to three- month delay in manufacturing electric vehicle (EV) batteries and led to a critical loss of skilled workers. Worksite raids also negatively impacted the local economy; small businesses in Coastal Georgia faced bankruptcy and double digit percentage drops in revenue after Hyundai workers were detained.
As Georgia considers opening up more contracts with ICE and expanding detention centers across the state, it must consider the economic impacts as well. Small towns from Social Circle to Oakwood are fighting back against detention centers opening up in their cities, noting the overwhelming strain these facilities will have on local infrastructure that the towns simply do not have.
“From rural South Georgia to growing cities, immigrant families and allies are organizing and showing up”, said Daniela Rodríguez, Executive Director of MESE. “MESE’s Day at the Capitol is about making sure our communities, from Chatham, Wayne, Glynn, Bulloch, Toombs, and beyond, have their voices heard where decisions are made, and that they are no longer ignored.”
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About Migrant Equity Southeast
Migrant Equity Southeast is a Latinx and immigrant-led 501(c)(3) in South Georgia serving migrant and refugee communities across the Southeast. MESE advances immigrant rights through advocacy, mutual aid, education, and outreach.
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