DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 10 withdrew two much-anticipated resolutions – one concerning tactical federal immigration forces and another regarding the expansion of the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
The board voted 4-3 to withdraw Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry’s substitute resolution, Agenda Item 2026-0205, which, in addition to the objection to Operation Surge in DeKalb County, also sought to allocate $250,000 to Decide DeKalb to facilitate funds to local refugee and immigrant-serving organizations. Commissioners LaDena Bolton, Michelle Long Spears, and Terry all voted against the withdrawal of that resolution.
Spears was the only dissenting vote in the BOC’s decision to withdraw the resolution establishing a temporary moratorium on new hangar development at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.
ICE debate
Terry first introduced a resolution disavowing Operation Surge in January, and it had been deferred multiple times since then. Several commissioners admonished the ICE raids, but acknowledged that on the county level, the proposed resolution would not be enforceable. The board’s decision to withdraw the resolution objecting to future raids of the “largest single government army, other than the military” could be harmful to DeKalb County residents of color, Terry said.
“What is so controversial about saying that we don’t want masked, armed, SWAT-carrying gear people all throughout our streets in our neighborhoods, pulling people over without any identification, without any cause?” Terry said. “If you’re brown, you better check the license. If you are in the wrong neighborhood, well, too bad.”
District 1 Commissioner Robert Patrick, who announced during the meeting that he was the only immigrant on the board, made the motion to withdraw the resolution. Patrick said although he understands the “sense of fear” that the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the board has responsibilities to the 350,000 residents facing challenges other than ICE.
“In my opinion, this resolution does not get us to a better place. We are 266 days away from the election. The federal election. That’s where the fight is,” Patrick said. “That’s where we got to put our eyes on the prize. That’s the goal. But us, as the board of commissioners, we have to be concerned with all of our residents.”
Related story:
• Residents say they were ‘sold down the river’ over PDK airport expansion
PDK plans
The moratorium on hangars was also a resolution sponsored by Terry. It was in response to residents expressing apprehension about noise pollution and other environmental hazards that could be caused by the eight-hangar expansion planned on the east side of PDK, which will hold 16 corporate jets under a 50-year ground lease.
The board’s decision to withdraw the resolution stemmed from discussions about how banning night flights and implementing curfews would be challenging to uphold at the county level, since it would be a Federal Aviation Administration call. The expansion is a part of the PDK 2040 master plan.
The entire Feb. 10 board meeting can be viewed here.