ATLANTA — As protestors clash with immigration agents on the West Coast, Georgia officials say their operations have been moving at a rapid pace.

“It is staggering,” said Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta.

Schrank said Georgia teams have made thousands of arrests by using methods including work site enforcement operations, and partnerships with local police agencies.

“I fully expect that pace and posture will continue to increase over the coming weeks and months as we increase our resources, capacity, and efficiencies in these operations,” Schrank said.

Federal agents recently arrested 12 people during an immigration crackdown operation at the Lux Nail Lounge on Ernest Barrett Parkway in Marietta.

ICE, FBI, ATF and DEA agents arrested hundreds of people in a targeted sweep in metro Atlanta in January. The sweeps included communities along Buford Highway in Brookhaven, Chamblee, Tucker, and Lilburn.

In February, Georgia legislature advanced a bill that would waive the sovereign immunity for local governments that don’t enforce federal immigration law, opening them up to lawsuits.

In March, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp requested ICE training for more than 1,100 officers under the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Many activists have recently condemned a proposed expansion of an immigration detention facility in south Georgia.

If the proposal is approved, it would become the largest immigration detention facility in the United States with 3,000 beds, officials say.