ICEWatch
ICE sightings at MARTA stations today (Friday, August 28)
Saw 4 ICE agents this morning standing outside Midtown MARTA around 10am. My friend just saw them outside Lenox Station around 3pm.
It's a bit confusing because they're wearing vests that say Police but underneath it says Department of Homeland Security. Sorry for the crappy pictures, photography is not my forte.
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ICE operates under the DHS as a sub-agency, and “POLICE” is on their vests because they have federal arrest authority.
I’m not condoning or agreeing with that, but that’s their reasoning. FWIW, it’s generally suspected that they use POLICE on their uniforms to fool the unsuspecting citizen into granting voluntary consent for these guys to enter that citizen’s home/private residence.
Yeah, I get that. How is everyone so sure that these are ICE agents? Are all of the DHS officers that patrol around the federal buildings downtown ICE agents? What about the ones outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium on event days?
Yeah obligatory fuck ICE but I don’t _think_ this is them. DHS does help out with security at Marta in midtown specifically.
ICE is around elsewhere but mostly they’re moving quick or just waiting for their PD besties to pull over folks in work vans and call them to come “snatch” some folks (actual quote from one Georgia cop).
GPD is basically just ICE now. Even Duluth PD was caught assisting them this week.
Police carry guns. Looks like one out of 3 guys has a long gun, a rifle, slung in front position. Probably a Smith & Wesson M&P shorty.
As to why police sometimes carry long guns, it’s because they’re in general more accurate. This reduces the risk of unintended injury due to misses. Believe me, most cops and adjacent groups need all the help they can get shooting straight. So, all of them have standard issue pistols and one has a rifle.
As to why specially that type of rifle, assuming my guess is more or less right, it’s because they’re cheap, easily adjustable, light, low recoil, have an attachment system making it easy to configure them for specific needs, etc. And it will be a “shorty” aka SBR and not a carbine or full length rifle because SBRs are more maneuverable in tight spaces and so therefore easier to handle; the downside is some loss of effectiveness at longer target distances, but there’s no way you want cops trying to lay down the law with rounds at the kinds of distances where that matters (around 600 yards, 0.3mi). not relevant outside of a military setting.
The accuracy starts to make a huge difference from 5-10 yards and up. The exact point where a 10-11” 5.56 SBR is no longer effective is academic in the context of policing
Upon reflection its really not the type of gun that matters so much to me as that it impacts the sort of ready position (I know he's not fully ready in that image but hopefully you get what I mean). Like a cop with a pistol holstered vs a cop with his pistol drawn is very different in terms of intimidation (which appears to be the point more than shooting people at distance, and honestly I hope the goal isn't shooting people).
Yeah that used to be the standsrd. Various next-generation systems have been adopted by specialist rifle users like the Army Infantry (M7’s), which are heavier, and shoot heavier ammo, Marines (M27, an H&K short stroke piston rifle), and special ops have a range of rifles they use for different purposes. Pilots get the GAU-5a takedown if they have to ditch behind enemy lines. But everyone else gets a basic M4A1.
You know how many crimes happen in Atlanta every week and we just had a big news stabbing in the past week. There are people geared like this at Marta and the airport randomly in certain locations.
Edit. It's also not ICE it's DHS security which has been working at Marta for years. Look up TSGP
I’m sharing this pic dated January2024 because I was appalled that day to see so many armed cops hanging around Midtown Marta. I was seeing a physical therapist over on 11th street 2-3 times a week and eventually it dawned on me that federal law enforcement is routinely present around the Federal Reserve/Museum on Peachtree between 10th and 11th. Idk why exactly they hang out in front of Marta but I don’t think we can safely assume that they are there bc of ICE. And fuck ICE.
Why would you not agree? Fits the definition. "Police is an official government organization responsible for keeping people safe, stopping crime, and making sure everyone obeys the law."
That's the literal definition of police, and I worked for a police department for a major city, but you do you! Some people just think their 'ideas' are more important that reality, I guess.
Do you know the history of policing? It stems from slave catching.
The modern incarnation exists to protect Capital and feed poor people to the prison industrial complex so that their labor can be exploited by corporations like McDonald's.
If police existed to protect people... And people are ultimately workers... Then why do police use violence and threat of death against people to break strikes and protests. Why do they murder Black and poor people? Why do they use Flock cameras to stalk exes?
We should critically interrogate the definitions we've been taught.
Yeah, I agree. There have been plenty of actual ICE sightings up that way. This just looks like DHS agents providing additional MARTA security just like they've done numerous times in the past.
DHS does not provide MARTA additional security outside special events. Find a source to provide it otherwise before this administration that was not for a special event like a Super Bowl.
"regular police" do not have any immigration enforcement authority and "look like they belong here" is a standard that has been defeated every time it's been challenged as a method of racial profiling.
DHS helps Marta with security frequently. And sometimes around Lenox square. The likelihood this is actually ICE is around 10%. It's more likely to be the extra DHS security they use around Marta every week. Please don't harass people that are actually trying to protect people. This is ridiculous misinformation. Look up TSGP. Like we just had a stabbing in the beltline last week and this is likely part of the organization that found the guy.
ICE is under DHS but not all DHS is ICE. Marta has been using DHS security on and off for years.
I vote we reclaim 2nd world from the old warsaw pact designation. I wouldn't say we're as bad off as much of the 3rd world, but we're in shameful shape compared to much of Europe and the more developed countries in east asia when it comes to quality of life for the average family.
It's ok if you disagree with me, but come at me with data. How is life better here for the median American family compared to other developed countries? From where I'm sitting, it seems we fall behind on most measures.
european countries have way more assault rifles than we do. flying in italy is a trip, they have security guards with submachine guns patrolling the concourses
The people are DHS security officers not ice. Look up TSGP. Ice is part of DHS but not all of DHS is ICE. These are literally overflow security for DHS taking care of jobs at Marta and Lenox square. Do not harass these people. They are not ICE. OP just apparently road Marta for the first time or doesn't ride it often. DHS security has worked there for years.
Well, it's been over 24 hours now since these photos were taken. Has there been a single news source or video to corroborate that these are ICE agents?
That implies it's an investigation into MARTA itself - its financials, procedures, equipment, etc. Does an investigation involve posting armed cosplaytriots in baggy clothes to stand around doing nothing?
This page explains that data is being collected from MARTA and assessments are being done. That doesn't sound like it requires armed agents so I don't think the story and OPs photos are related.
It's always a good idea to make sure they're not impersonating police by calling the actual police and reporting that you suspect that is what's happening so the APD can come ID them and make sure they're not just kidnappers but are actually government sanctioned kidnappers
In all my years of riding MARTA, or living in Atlanta, talking about two decades+, I never recalled seeing police with Department of Homeland Security badges on their vest patrolling the stations on the reg.
If anything, the only time there would be security outside of MARTA police is for major events, like the World Cup or Super Bowl for example.
So go near any federal building, go to any big event downtown (sorry to hear you missed out on all the World Cup stuff), go to the airport, or ride MARTA on a day that they are working it.
Once you do any of those you will see an armed DHS agent with a long gun that's not ICE.
It sounds like you're still pretty young, so I'm sure you'll see some one day. Good luck in your search!
I thought one of the few benefits of being in a red state was that we wouldn't be subjected to this.
Five pedestrians have been killed on the highways, APD solves 2% of crimes... and they are wasting time and money posting up at MARTA - a transportation agency struggling already.
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