The immigrants were discovered in a room at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while they were reportedly waiting for flights to cities across the country, a Georgia state lawmaker revealed Friday.
State Sen. Colton Moore said a whistleblower told him the migrants were being held in a discreet room at the world's busiest airport, so he sent a camera crew to the Altanta airport to get answers.
He joined “Fox & Friends” to talk about his interaction with the volunteers, all of which was caught on camera, after they insisted he not record their altercation.
“We have a whistleblower who gave us a tip about this hidden room, and I had a whole team there with different cameras in different places, and I said that on Monday and Tuesday nights there is an influx of these people who come to the airport, kind of like when traffic is a lot less at the airport,” Moore told host Lawrence Jones, who called it “shady business.”
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“They were in a hidden room. Yesterday I was talking to an investigator from the Atlanta Police Department. There are absolutely no cameras in this area of the airport,” he continued. “If you look at another part of the video, you'll see there are some barricades and caution tape before you get there. It looks like a construction zone.”
FILE – In this Friday, May 27, 2016, file photo taken from video, travelers pass through the main security gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jeff Martin, File)
In Moore's footage, there appears to be a U.S. service member standing outside the door.
“Are they transporting someone somewhere?” Moore asked a volunteer, who appeared to be at the door to the hidden room.
“Yes, we'll all get you flights to where you need to be,” he responded.
“These are simply documented travelers who were released by ICE and got to where they need to be,” the volunteer continued.
But when Moore demonstrated that he was recording, volunteers confronted him and told him he “did not have permission” to film.
“You can't watch a video,” said one volunteer as he put his hand in front of the camera.
“No, no! You're not allowed!” a woman yelled at Moore.
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Moore said the complainant described groups of immigrants walking “right through the doors” before being escorted to the room while they waited for a ticket to their next destination.
“Yet, those people in that room were waiting to be booked on flights all over the United States,” Moore said. “We also received videos of immigrants walking through the streets of Atlanta.”
The Atlanta airport issued a statement in response to Moore's video.
“ATL works with Team Libertad, volunteers to provide assistance to immigrants during their journey,” the statement reads. “Team Libertad is a non-profit organization that has worked in ATL since 2020 and there are no military or other law enforcement agencies involved in this effort. Immigrants are never housed at the airport.”
Meanwhile, airports across the country have been forced to confront the migration crisis, even thousands of miles from the southern border.
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Illegal migrants line the terminal floors of Boston's Logan Airport as Massachusetts shelters are overrun. (WBZ)
Dozens of migrants have recently camped out at Boston's Logan Airport, causing an uproar in the community as the state struggles to house asylum seekers. But because Massachusetts has a state-level “right to housing law,” officials have no choice.
Chicago airports have also been overrun by migrants, who have been seeking refuge at O'Hare International Airport for months and, more recently, at Midway International Airport.
The sanctuary city, along with others across the country, has struggled to provide enough resources for illegal immigrants who have arrived by the busload.
Despite it being a nationwide fight, Moore said he hopes Georgia state legislators will take action to get the necessary answers.
“I hope the Georgia Senate uses its subpoena authority and starts bringing some people in from the airport and getting these questions answered,” he said.
“I want these people to not be able to leave the airport,” he continued. “The city of Atlanta controls the Atlanta airport. They should house these people here until we can figure things out in the future.”
