Elections have ramifications, and in Georgia, two local sheriff races could result in a decrease in public safety. The question is, how much will the policy changes made by the new sheriffs affect the security of the community? Both newly elected sheriffs pledged to scrap the 287 (g) program – a program developed by Congress to enable trained local officials to enforce immigration laws under ICE supervision and to serve as a force multiplier for ICE staff is lacking to address the large population of criminal foreigners who can be deported, which the local authorities encounter. Trained officers can use ICE databases to determine the immigration status of inmates and collect immigration fees under ICE supervision, eliminating the need for an ICE officer to be present in prison. The program is currently only used in prisons and prisons and therefore only affects those criminal foreigners who have already been arrested for a crime.
The newly elected Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor terminated the law enforcement partnership on January 1.
- The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) accounted for 4,262 foreign-born encounters in fiscal 2020, 25.2 percent of all 287 (g) encounters (16,903) nationwide.
- GCSO has reported 57,911 encounters abroad between the start of the program in the 2009 financial year and 2020.
Cobb County’s new Sheriff Craig Owens has pledged to end the program within his first 100 days in office.
- The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was responsible for 1,097 foreign-born encounters in fiscal 2020, 6.5 percent of all 287 (g) encounters nationwide.
- Since the start of the program in the 2007 financial year until 2020, CCSO has reported 21,984 encounters abroad.
In 2020, the 287 (g) program hit approximately:
- 37 foreigners convicted of murder;
- 920 aliens convicted of assault;
- 1,261 convicted of dangerous drugs;
- 104 convicted of sexual offenses / assaults;
- 377 convicted of obstruction of the police force; and
- 190 convicted of gun crimes.
Here are some examples of dangerous people being dragged off the road under 287 (g) in Counties Gwinnett and Cobb:
- A Guatemalan citizen charged with murder and aggravated assault. The subject returned to the US illegally on an unknown date and location after being previously removed in 2012.
- A Mexican national charged with rape and aggravated child abuse through sodomy was previously convicted of forgery. The subject returned to the United States illegally after previously being removed.
- A citizen of El Salvador on charges of simple battery, disorderly behavior, no driver’s license and outstanding arrest warrants for two cases of rape by the strong poor and sexual assault by strong sodomy. Previous convictions include carrying concealed weapons, causing physical harm to spouse / roommate, exacerbating DUI, DUI, and disorderly poisoning. The subject returned to the United States illegally, having previously been removed twice.
- A Mexican national was arrested for possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, methamphetamine trafficking, and cocaine trafficking. The subject entered the United States on an unknown date and location without inspection.
- A Jamaican national sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery, crime-commissioned gun possession, and marijuana possession. The subject was last included as a conditional legal resident in the United States.
Former Gwinnett County’s Sheriff Butch Conway is quoted in the Atlanta Journal’s constitution as saying, “It [the 287(g) program] saved people. I certainly think there has been less child abuse, rape, murder, and robbery. “
These two programs in Georgia can be discontinued, but there are 72 other 287 (g) programs in 21 states, including six in Georgia. In addition, there are another 76 law enforcement agencies in 21 states that have warrant service officer programs. This is a more restricted version of the 287 (g) agency that allows them to simply detain criminal aliens pending transfer to ICE custody.
But criminal foreigners travel like everyone else. So if a law enforcement program that removes criminals from these communities is abolished, everyone is at greater risk.
