Marietta police join ICE task force to protect state funding

MARIETTA, Ga. - The Marietta Police Department has entered into a task force agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure the city maintains its state funding.

What we know:

Department officials said the agreement was finalized on Jan. 7 in response to a 2024 state law known as the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act. The law requires local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities or risk losing state grants and funding.

Despite the new partnership, the department noted it has made no immigration-related arrests since the memorandum of understanding began. Marietta police have assigned one officer to the task force but emphasized that the officer continues to perform the same duties as before and does not travel with immigration agents.

According to the department, the task force model was chosen because other cooperation options would require local agencies to house ICE detainees in jails—a facility the Marietta Police Department does not operate.

What we don't know:

The department has not yet released the specific language of the agreement or a full list of its requirements.