More than a dozen people were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a road-check operation in Worth County, Georgia, on Monday, October 20, according to Sheriff Donald Whitaker, whose office assisted the federal agents.
Source: WALB News 10
Whitaker told WALB that his deputies helped four to six ICE agents with road checks on the east side of the county from noon to 5:00 p.m. He said the agents were searching for people wanted by ICE under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In total, 14 people were arrested during the five-hour operation.
The Georgia News Network, in a statewide roundup carried by WGTJ radio, likewise reported that a five-hour ICE operation on south Georgia roads ended with 14 arrests, and that Whitaker confirmed his deputies assisted ICE agents during the roadside operation.
Source: Georgia News Network via WGTJ
What is not yet public
ICE has not publicly disclosed why the 14 people were wanted or where they are being held, the Georgia News Network reported. No names of those arrested were released in the reporting available so far, and ICE had not issued a detailed public statement about the Worth County operation as of the latest reports.
Whitaker also condemned people who posted on social media during the operation telling drivers to take other routes, WALB and the Georgia News Network both reported. The sheriff's criticism points to a pattern seen in other recent enforcement operations, where online warnings spread quickly while road checks are under way.
Where: east side of Worth County, south Georgia. When: Monday, October 20, noon to 5:00 p.m. Who: four to six ICE agents, assisted by Worth County sheriff's deputies. Result: 14 people arrested, described by the sheriff as people wanted by ICE. Not yet public: why each person was wanted and where they are being held — ICE has not disclosed either, according to the Georgia News Network.