In September 2025, ICE agents raided a vehicle production facility in Savannah and arrested hundreds of people for various visa violations.
“We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine — but they need to do it the legal way,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the U.S., Schrank stressed. Most arrests were for more serious violations, ICE claimed. For example, a green card holder from Mexico was arrested after being determined to be removable from the U.S. based on multiple criminal convictions. Green card holders can be removed from the U.S. if it is determined that the subject has qualifying criminal convictions. The individual has convictions for possession of narcotics, possession, attempt to sale of a stolen firearm and theft.
“Today’s operation reflects our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians, ensuring fair competition for businesses that play by the rules, and safeguarding the integrity of our economy,” added Schrank. “This is not primarily about immigration status — it is about accountability under the law. Thanks to the strong partnerships across federal and state law enforcement, we are holding accountable those who exploit the system for personal gain.”
Search and Arrest Warrant Procedure
Immigration warrants work the same way as state court-issued warrants. An immigration, state court, or federal judge may issue an immigration, search, or arrest warrant if proper authorities submit an affidavit which, in the opinion of an independent reviewing body, demonstrates probable cause.
The proper authority requirement prevents judicial and forum-shopping. If an immigration judge refuses to issue a warrant, ICE agents cannot ask a state judge for a warrant. Likewise, Cobb County judges only have jurisdiction to issue Cobb County warrants.
Affidavits must be in the proper form. An affidavit includes a jurat (formal requirements), a body, and a signature properly witnessed by a notary. Email shortcuts usually are not acceptable.
The third element, probable cause, is very subjective. However, in most cases, the uncorroborated word of a paid informant usually does not constitute probable cause. Paid informants usually have mixed motives, at best. Some informants get paid in cash or receive leniency in other matters. Still other “paid” informants are tattletales who simply want to get the defendant in trouble.
Criminal Law and Immigration Law
Criminal law deals with offenses against the state, including crimes like theft, assault, or drug possession. It focuses on determining guilt and assigning penalties such as fines, imprisonment, or probation. Immigration law, on the other hand, governs the legal status of non-citizens in a country, addressing issues like visas, residency, deportation, and naturalization. These issues are technically crimes against the state, but only in a strict sense.
These two areas of law overlap because U.S. officials cannot possibly swing the doors open and let everyone in. Neither can they bar the doors and keep everyone out. A line must be drawn somewhere, and criminal law issues help determine its location.
The intersection of the two occurs when non-citizens are charged with or convicted of crimes. Certain criminal convictions, especially crimes involving moral turpitude or aggravated felonies, often result in serious immigration consequences, including deportation, denial of reentry, or ineligibility for citizenship. Even minor offenses can trigger removal proceedings depending on the circumstances. More on that below.
This overlap creates issues for a Marietta criminal defense lawyer. For example, the immigration law definition of “conviction” includes deferred disposition probation, which is not a conviction for criminal law purposes. Furthermore, adverse immigration actions based on criminal convictions raises the specter of double punishment. This issue has not been conclusively settled.
CIMTs
A CIMT is any offense that involves fraud or dishonesty in a way that churns the stomach. The incomplete list includes assault, theft, fraud, sex crimes, and most other non-traffic infractions.
Currently, DUI is not a CIMT. However, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, which was passed by House Republicans, is working its way through the system. H.R.875 makes a DUI conviction an explicit ground for inadmissibility and deportability. The Senate is expected to pass the resolution this fall or winter, and the President is expected to sign it shortly thereafter.
The CIMT deportation and removal laws are quite complex. A CIMT conviction is a deportable event, if the offense carries a maximum possible sentence of one year or more, and the person committed the offense within five years after the date of admission. In 2015, California short-circuited this rule by reducing the maximum punishment for a misdemeanor to 364 days. That change is retroactive to convictions after January 1, 2015.
A post-2015 California CIMT conviction remains on the immigrant’s permanent record and often affects later status adjustment proceedings, such as an application for permanent residency or official citizenship.
Furthermore, two or more convictions after the five-year period constitute a deportable event, unless the two convictions arose from the same criminal misconduct scheme, as defined by the Immigration and Naturalization Act.
Aggravated Felonies
An aggravated felony is a category of crime in U.S. immigration law that can lead to severe immigration consequences, including mandatory deportation and permanent inadmissibility.
Aggravated felonies include a broad range of offenses, such as drug trafficking, most felony sex crimes, aggravated assault, murder, theft or burglary with a sentence of at least one year, and certain firearms offenses.
We should point out that the term “aggravated felony” can be misleading because it includes crimes that may not be considered felonies under state law or may not seem “aggravated.” Even misdemeanor offenses can qualify if the sentence meets federal criteria.
When non-citizens, whether lawful permanent residents or undocumented immigrants, are convicted of an aggravated felony, they typically go straight from criminal court to immigration court. Bad things happen there. These individuals are typically subject to mandatory removal and are ineligible for most forms of relief, including asylum and cancellation of removal. Additionally, they are permanently barred from re-entering the United States.
Deportation based on an aggravated felony conviction is usually fast-tracked. These individuals are almost always detained without bond. Because the stakes are so high, legal counsel is essential. Immigration and criminal law are closely intertwined in these cases. Small changes in a plea deal, such as a plea to simple assault instead of aggravated assault, drastically impact immigration outcomes.
Criminal convictions usually have serious consequences for noncitizens. For a free consultation with an experienced Marietta criminal defense attorney, contact The Phillips Law Firm, LLC. We routinely handle matters in Cobb County and nearby jurisdictions.
