ICE arrests in South Georgia; Fulton Election Board fined; AJC will end print edition

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast: August 28, 2025

Host: Orlando Montoya (GPB News)
Key Topics: ICE arrests in South Georgia, Fulton Election Board legal drama, AJC to end print edition

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Orlando Montoya covers several major developments affecting Georgia:

• The future of local journalism as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution plans to cease its print edition
• Legal and political turbulence within the Fulton County Election Board over controversial appointments
• The tangible impacts of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement strategies in South Georgia communities
  Additionally, the show touches on dementia diagnoses in Georgia, major business developments, and upcoming events for Labor Day weekend.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) to End Print Edition

[00:57 – 01:36]

• AJC, founded in 1863, will cease its print newspaper after nearly 157 years.
• Andrew Morse (AJC President/Publisher) confirms that digital platforms (ajc.com, AJC mobile app, video podcasts, etc.) will continue operations.
• Atlanta will become the largest U.S. metro area without a daily print newspaper after December 31, 2025.

Notable Quote:

“The decision will make Atlanta the largest US metro area without a printed daily newspaper. The final AJC printed edition will be December 31, 2025.” – Orlando Montoya ([01:27])

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2. Fulton Election Board Controversy: Fines Levied

[01:36 – 03:36]

• Two Republican nominees (Julie Adams and Jason Frazier) to the Fulton County Board of Elections were not confirmed amid allegations of election denialism.
• A Superior Court judge, David Emerson, ruled that county commissioners must confirm these nominees or face $10,000-per-day fines.
• Commissioners' legal defense argued their legislative discretion; the court disagreed.

Notable Quotes:

“Judge David Emerson ruled that Fulton county commissioners must vote to confirm the two Republican nominees to the county election board.” – Sarah Kalis ([02:51])
“I didn't see anywhere in that legislation that the commission was given veto power over the nominees. Is it in there? Did I miss it?” – Unnamed party in hearing ([02:59])

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3. ICE Arrests Shift: Local Law Enforcement Involvement in South Georgia

[03:36 – 08:51]

Story Focus:

GPB’s Sophie Gradas reports from Colquitt County, detailing the new realities facing immigrants as local police take a frontline role in immigration enforcement, often with alarming consequences for families and the agricultural economy.

Key Developments:

• Lorenzo Sarabia Morales, a farmworker, was swept into ICE detention after a joint operation between DHS and local police following HB 1105's passage.
• The law mandates county sheriffs comply with federal immigration law; local police now participate in identifying and detaining undocumented residents.
• The traditional guidance (such as “red card” rights campaigns) has become less effective, as immigrants cannot always distinguish between police and federal agents.

Memorable Quotes & Moments:

“Immediately, we were like, okay, we need to provide a different type of education because even though these are our rights, we're following it. But they're not.” – Alma Young, United Farm Workers ([00:57] & [06:36])

“The red card says, don’t open the door, don't answer any questions, don't sign anything.” – Alma Young ([06:29])

“No, yo, I was scared... He’s always been scared of police. Despite having no criminal warrants, Lorenzo’s work visa expired in 2019.” – Sophie Gradas (paraphrasing Lorenzo, [04:43])

“It’s no surprise to me, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody who’s been in Georgia for 20 years that this is happening.” – Charles Cook, immigration attorney ([07:04])

“If they stop somebody that's illegal, I mean, they have a—that’s the law. But again, we're putting law enforcement in that position to make that decision on the fly. And there needs to be some more delineation, some more clarity.” – Rep. Chaz Cannon ([08:35])

“The American dream doesn't exist,” Lorenzo says. “I came to find it and could not.” – Sophie Gradas ([08:51])

Economic Impacts:

• After the arrests, dozens of local farmers reported worker shortages.
• State Rep. Chaz Cannon expressed support for immigration enforcement but acknowledged serious practical challenges for the agricultural sector.

Legal Context:

• Georgia HB 1105 and federal 287(g) program empower local law enforcement in immigration cases.
• Even without specific ICE training, local police have stepped in, raising concerns about due process and civil rights.

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4. Additional News Updates

Dementia Diagnoses & Health Policy

[09:24 – 10:15]

• A new Milken Institute report highlights the growing gap between longevity and quality of life due to increasing dementia diagnoses.
• Over 188,000 Georgians live with Alzheimer’s.
• Early diagnosis initiatives, including the federal CHANGE Act, are being advanced for better cognitive assessments in Medicare.

“...it would be a fantastic step forward to have more of an objective measurement of cognitive impairment.” – Mike Brown, Milken Institute ([09:56])

Business & Community Updates

[10:27 and onward]

• SEJUAN America, an auto parts manufacturer, is expanding its Rincon facility, creating 100 jobs.
• The Atlanta Dream basketball team partners to eliminate $10M in debt for Atlanta families, commemorating the MLK "I Have a Dream" speech anniversary.
• The National Hot Rod Association will hold the 2026 Southern Nationals in South Georgia, its first expansion in over a decade.
• Golf legend Bill Plager (85) passed away on the course in Columbus.

Labor Day Travel & Events

• GDOT suspends highway lane closures for the holiday to ease congestion.
• MARTA increases service in Atlanta due to significant events: DragonCon, the AFLAC Kickoff Classic, and the Atlanta Hip Hop Day Festival.

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Timestamps: Major Segments

• AJC Print Edition Ending: [00:57 – 01:36]
• Fulton Election Board Fines: [01:36 – 03:36]
• South Georgia ICE Arrests & Community Impact: [03:36 – 08:51]
  • Lorenzo’s story & raid details: [04:07 – 06:29]
  • Alma Young & Know Your Rights: [06:29 – 06:57]
  • Charles Cook’s legal analysis: [07:04 – 07:59]
  • Economic/farmer impact: [07:59 – 08:51]
• Dementia & Health Policy: [09:24 – 10:15]
• Business, Sports, and Labor Day Events: [10:27 – End]

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Notable Quotes (With Speaker & Timestamp)

• “The decision will make Atlanta the largest US metro area without a printed daily newspaper.”
  — Orlando Montoya ([01:27])

• “Judge David Emerson ruled that Fulton county commissioners must vote to confirm the two Republican nominees to the county election board.”
  — Sarah Kalis ([02:51])

• “The red card says, don’t open the door, don't answer any questions, don’t sign anything.”
  — Alma Young ([06:29])

• “It’s no surprise to me, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody who’s been in Georgia for 20 years that this is happening.”
  — Charles Cook ([07:04])

• “If they stop somebody that's illegal ... again, we're putting law enforcement in that position to make that decision on the fly. And there needs to be some more delineation, some more clarity.”
  — Rep. Chaz Cannon ([08:35])

• “The American dream doesn't exist... I came to find it and could not.”
  — Lorenzo Sarabia Morales (via Sophie Gradas, [08:51])

• “...it would be a fantastic step forward to have more of an objective measurement of cognitive impairment.”
  — Mike Brown ([09:56])

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Conclusion

This episode presents a vivid picture of legal, social, and economic transitions unfolding across Georgia—from new tensions in immigration enforcement and election administration to seismic shifts in longstanding local institutions like the AJC. Interviews with affected residents, union representatives, politicians, and experts add depth and local context to these headline developments, making the podcast essential listening for those invested in Georgia’s future.

Transcript

[A]

These days there's so much news it can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family and your community. The Consider this Podcast from NPR features our award winning journalism. Six days a week we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news. We get behind the headlines. We get to the truth. Listen to the Consider this Podcast from npr.

[B]

Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Fulton county will face fines for not confirming two election board members accused of being election deniers. The Atlanta Journal Constitution will stop providing its print edition at the end of the year, and Georgia communities experience the new realities of the Trump administration's increased immigration arrests.

[C]

Immediately, we were like, okay, we need to provide a different type of education because even though these are our rights, we're following it. But they're not.

[B]

Today is Thursday, August 28th. I'm Orlando Montoya and this is Georgia Today. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has announced plans to stop providing its printed edition at the end of this year. AJC President and Publisher Andrew Morse says the company will continue to publish on its website, ajc.com, on the AJC mobile app, as well as through video podcasts and across other digital platforms. The AJC was founded in 1863 and has been printing papers for almost 157 years. The decision will make Atlanta the largest US metro area without a printed daily newspaper. The final AJC printed edition will be December 31, 2025. A federal judge has thrown out Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's campaign finance lawsuit against lieutenant governor Burt Jones. The suit alleged Jones has an unfair fundraising advantage as the two Republicans run for governor next year. Carr sued earlier this month, asking a judge to prohibit Jones from using a special leadership committee that allows for unlimited fundraising. Carr alleged his free speech and equal protection rights were being violated. U.S. district Court Judge Victoria Marie Calvert dismissed Carr's lawsuit today. She ruled that Carr should have challenged the law instead of suing his rival. A Fulton County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of the Fulton County Republican Party in a case involving Republican appointments to the county board of elections. GPB's Sarah Kalis reports.

[D]

Judge David Emerson ruled that Fulton county commissioners must vote to confirm the two Republican nominees to the county election board.

[E]

I didn't see anywhere in that legislation that the commission was given veto power over the nominees. Is it in there? Did I miss it?

[D]

Lawyers for the commissioners claim those who failed to confirm the nominees were exercising their legislative power. The Republican nominees at the center of the debate, Julie Adams and Jason Frazier, are accused of being election deniers. The commission failed to confirm their nominations earlier this month. Emerson's ruling says that the commission will be fined $10,000 per day until they appoint the nominees starting Friday. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallas in Atlanta.

[B]

The second Trump administration marks a shift in how people without legal U.S. immigration status are arrested in many places. Rather than federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, local law enforcement officers are making the arrests. That practice is encouraged under federal and state law, but it's left immigrants at the center of the target. On edge. GPB's Sophie Gradis has more from one community in South Georgia experiencing this new norm.

[F]

Lorenzo Sarabia Morales home is at the end of a gravel road in Moultrie in South Georgia's Colquitt County. On this night, a stifling heat wave outside isn't stopping Lorenzo's son and other neighborhood kids from playing soccer. But in the house, the family's window unit is blasting. Lorenzo has only recently returned home from Stuart detention center, over 100 miles away. That's where he spent Father's Day. His present. They gave us a Coke and some M and Ms, he says. They said it was from the government. Lorenzo was put in ICE detention after being arrested on May 12 in an operation organized by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS had asked Colquitt county to help them arrest local people with outstanding warrants, and it did. But then word got out that ICE was in town. That operation expanded beyond the Warrant Service and into a joint patrol by DHS and local police. Lorenzo was working 30 minutes away, he says his wife called and said that she had heard there was an immigration raid going on. He stopped what he was doing and came home right away with another person. They got caught during the joint Patrol pulled over by a local officer just a few miles from home. No, yo, I was scared, he says. He's always been scared of police. Despite having no criminal warrants, Lorenzo's work visa expired in 2019. What happened to Lorenzo is one result of two laws. There's Georgia HB 1105, which requires county sheriffs to fully comply with federal immigration law or face criminal charges. Then there's a section of federal immigration law called 287. It gives local police the option to receive training from ICE to make arrests themselves. But according to ICE records, neither the Colquitt County Sheriff's Office office nor The Moultrie Police Department had such training before the May 12th joint patrol when it started over there. This all marks a change in how Alma Young with the United Farm Workers union has understood the rules of immigration enforcement in Georgia. She says know your rights campaigns have long been the strategy during times like this. Those rights used to fit on a little red card.

[C]

The red card says, don't open the door, don't answer any questions, don't sign anything.

[F]

But then came the May 12th arrests.

[C]

They were expecting to see ICE badges, ICE agents, but we're seeing local police. And immediately we were like, okay, we need to provide a different type of education because even though these are our rights, we're following it, but they're not.

[F]

It's not the first time local police have been used in immigration enforcement, says Atlanta immigration attorney Charles Cook.

[E]

It's no surprise to me, and it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody who's been in Georgia for 20 years that this is happening.

[F]

Similar tactics were deployed under President Obama. What's different now is that cities and counties that don't comply with immigration enforcement have a lot more at stake. The Trump administration has threatened litigation, public exposure, and a termination of federal funding, says Cook.

[E]

So they understand, look, if we don't cooperate with ice, they're probably going to yank our money.

[F]

So far, federal courts have blocked efforts by the Trump administration to pull money out of so called sanctuary cities and states. Georgia was recently taken off that list, Cook says because of state law, some sheriffs in Georgia may be afraid anyways of being charged with a crime for not working with federal law enforcement.

[E]

At least here in Georgia, where there's state laws addressing these issues, it doesn't matter whether you're doing 7G or not, you're still going to cooperate with ICE.

[F]

In Colquitt county, the arrests and the fear that followed them have already meant a blow to the county's primary industry, agriculture. Republican Chaz Cannon represents the area around Colquitt county in the Georgia House. He agrees with President Trump's push to deport people. But he says after the May 12 arrest, he got calls from dozens of.

[E]

Farmers and they said, well, my guys didn't show up for work today and this guy's true didn't show up for work today. That's a problem.

[F]

He wishes for the sake of farmers profits, there was a better, easier way to keep workers here and that local officers could choose what immigration arrests they make.

[E]

If they stop somebody that's illegal, I mean, they have a that's the law. But again, we're putting law enforcement in that position to make that decision on the fly. And there needs to be some more delineation, some more clarity. And so that's kind of what we're asking for.

[F]

Lorenzo Sarabia Morales, a father of three, spent years building a life and family in this South Georgia community. But his arrest and detention mark a shift both Lorenzo and his wife now say they would feel safer back in Mexico. The American dream doesn't exist, lorenzo says. I came to find it and could not. For GPB news, I'm Sophie Gradas. And in Colquitt county.

[B]

The growing number of dementia diagnoses is contributing to the gap between longevity and quality of life. That's according to a new report from the Milken Institute. GPB's Ellen Eldredge has more on a disease impacting thousands of Georgians.

[D]

People are living longer, but those with dementia experience a worsening quality of life. That means the sooner Alzheimer's disease is determined detected, the better. Mike Brown is with the Milken Institute. He says federal policymakers are currently making decisions about what early detection Medicare will cover.

[E]

So one act being introduced again right now is called the CHANGE act, which is actually potentially going to recommend validated instruments for cognitive assessments within that Medicare annual wellness visit. And that would be a fantastic step forward to have more of an objective measurement of cognitive impairment.

[D]

More than 188,000 Georgians live with Alzheimer's disease, and tens of thousands more experience dementia. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldredge.

[B]

Say when America is planning a $50 million expansion at the Rincon, Georgia facility. The project will add more than 9,800 square feet to the building and create 100 new jobs. The company opened its first Georgia facility in LaGrange in 2008, which has since doubled in size and began operations in Rincon in 2025. CEJUAN America is one of the largest automobile body parts manufacturing companies in North America. The Atlanta Dream is marking Today's anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. S I have a Dream speech by eliminating $10 million in debt for Atlanta families. The team partnered with cash app and debt relief nonprofit Forgiveco to identify families in need. Financial support will settle debts for 3,500 families in amounts ranging from 500 to $80,000. The Atlanta Dream also will host a girls basketball clinic this evening to celebrate the anniversary. The National Hot Rod association is adding a track near Valdosta to its 2026 schedule. It's part of the National Drag Racing Series first expansion in more than a dozen years. The NHRA today released a 20 race schedule for the second consecutive year. South Georgia Motorsports park in Adel, north of Valdosta and a track in Mechanicsville, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. replace one of two stops in Las Vegas and North Carolina. The NHRA Southern Nationals will take place at the South Georgia track on May 1st through 3rd. One of the nation's top amateur and senior amateur golfers, a member of the Georgia Golf hall of Fame, died yesterday doing what he loved. Bill Plager collapsed while playing golf at Green Island Country Club in Columbus and was taken to an emergency room where he was pronounced dead. The Muscogee county coroner said his cause of death was heart failure. A native of Brunswick and an 11 time winner of the Golden Niles Invitational, he was Golf Digest's top ranked senior amateur in 1999. He qualified for the US Amateur six times and played in the US and British Senior Opens, among other accolades. Bill plager was 85 years old well, the Labor Day weekend is here. I hope you have great plans. Do something good for yourself. And if you're traveling, I hope you are prepared. The Georgia Department of Transportation is easing the road travel a little bit by suspending all lane closures closures on Georgia interstates during the Labor Day travel period. The suspension of lane closures begins at noon on Friday and lasts through Tuesday at 5am GDOT hopes to reduce delays and increase safety for motorists. Some lane closures may remain in place, however, because of safety or emergency considerations. If you're traveling on the roads in Atlanta, well, you know, it's pretty much always a mess. But this weekend it could be especially problematic, and MARTA is encouraging visitors and residents to take the trains and buses. We have DragonCon going on. We have the AFLAC Kickoff Classic and the Atlanta Hip Hop Day Festival. MARTA said it's providing extra rail services on Saturday and Sunday and will have more staff and police officers assigned to areas with high ridership. And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit gpb.org news hit subscribe on this podcast so you always stay current with us in your feed and we welcome suggestions, stories, corrections, anything you have to say, send it to Georgia todaypb.org I'm Orlando Montoya, and we'll be back again tomorrow with another edition of Georgia Today.