RINCON, Ga. — Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley said he does not condone ICE agents’ alleged mistreatment of local legal residents Aide and Jose Aguirre during a Nov. 7 Highway 21 checkpoint and urged the city’s Hispanic community to be more involved in civic life.
Exley also said he plans to reach out to the Aguirres, legal residents and owners of the Rincon roofing company First Construction, and personally invite them to a city council meeting. Aide said they would accept the invitation.
Exley said that he has not spoken with the law enforcement officers involved at the checkpoint and does not yet know all of the details of what happened but added: “I do not condone mistreatment of legal citizens in the city of Rincon. No matter your ethnicity. That doesn’t matter to me. Nobody should live in fear here,” Exley said.
He emphasized that while the city does not condone individuals who are in the U.S. illegally, anyone living legally in Rincon “should be able to live their life. Nobody who is here legally should be afraid.”
Exley noted that the city has no jurisdiction over the actions of ICE agents, but encouraged the Aguirres to seek answers about why they were allegedly targeted during the checkpoint.
Community concerns
Exley acknowledged the very real fears in the Hispanic community. Many residents have expressed concern over ICE and other enforcement activities targeting members of the community. Neighbors and friends have been sharing information online and in person, warning job sites, running errands together, and sending alerts to help protect each other.
“Nobody wants good people out of here. Anyone who is here illegally has work to do. But I don’t want people afraid to leave their houses if they are here legally. I know their fear is real,” Exley said.
The mayor also extended an invitation to the Hispanic community to engage more actively in local government.
“Our Hispanic community is growing. I would like to see our Hispanic community more involved with the overall Rincon community. That means showing up at city council meetings, meeting with us and having conversations so we have a better understanding of the fears and needs of their community,” he said.
Aftermath of ICE checkpoint encounter
The invitation follows a Nov. 7 roadside Southeast Traffic Enforcement Network checkpoint on Highway 21 hosted by the Rincon Police Department. The checkpoint involved federal ICE agents, which the Aguirres allege escalated into a frightening and aggressive encounter. Aide, a U.S. citizen, said a masked ICE agent approached their work van, verbally abused and intimidated her and Jose, who has a valid green card. Aide said the experience left her so rattled that she visited the emergency room the following day with chest pressure and difficulty breathing.
Aide said she was surprised by the mayor’s response.
“I am shocked,” she said. “The Hispanic community here doesn’t feel seen. We are afraid to speak out or be more visible because of the fear of retaliation.”
She agreed to meet with Exley to start a dialogue.
“People don’t realize that we respect ICE and local law enforcement. It’s that we are afraid of racial profiling and the aggressive behavior toward us,” she said. “There is a lot behind the scenes that American media is not covering. Hispanic news outlets and social media frequently report incidents where legal Hispanic residents are detained by ICE.”
Reflecting on the Nov. 7 encounter, Aguirre said, “We were cooperating. ICE had my husband’s license and green card and my license, and they still were yelling for my husband to get out of the car. I was afraid if he got out I would never see him again.”
Aide said a Rincon police officer intervened and convinced the ICE agents to let them leave.
She added that she spoke out not for publicity or as some social media commenters suggested, “a pay day,” but because someone needed to.
“I am scared. But it’s good to know that maybe something positive — meeting the mayor — will come out of this.”
