GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A controversial agreement between local and federal law enforcement will be renewed in Gwinnett County in June, according to the county's sheriff's office.
It's an agreement that allows specially-trained local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration law when arrestees are brought in on criminal charges. It's called 287(g), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreements with 78 law enforcement agencies in 20 states, including Georgia.
The sheriff's offices of Gwinnett, Bartow, Cobb, Floyd, Hall and Whitfield, as well as the Georgia Department of Corrections, are all in 287(g) agreements.
“Sheriff Conway brought the 287(g) program to our jail to help reduce the cost of housing inmates in our jail," Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Shannon Volkodav told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez. "These are people that are in the community, violating the law, and they are not supposed to be in the country to begin with."
And Sheriff Conway plans on renewing that divisive agreement, which expires in June.
Critics say the agreement deters immigrants from reporting crimes, therefore, increasing the likelihood of re-victimization.
“When people come forward - have the trust to come forward - they have legal mechanisms to be protected by law enforcement, they are further victimized by the process in Gwinnett County," countered Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of GALEO. "Unfortunately, Gwinnett County isn’t seen as a very friendly county towards immigrants."
The Gwinnett Sheriff's Office says that more than 52,000 people arrested and taken to Gwinnett County Jail were asked about their immigration status, between late 2009 to March 2019. Of those, the agency says, 15,000 were turned over to federal immigration authorities.
The agency also says of nearly 40,000 charges against Gwinnett detainees include 42 counts of murder, 123 counts of rape and 287 aggravated child molestation charges.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office says, legal status aside, a lot of people are arrested over traffic violations.