GWINNETT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT GETS AN UNFAIR SMACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ISSUE 287(G)
Last week I ran across a video report from Gwinnett’s first online television station, Gwinnett Broadcasting Company (GBC), which focused on a law enforcement program called 287(g). The purpose of 287(g) is to identify and deport illegal immigrants arrested for crimes in Gwinnett County and was approved for funding by the Gwinnett County Commissioners on April 1, 2008. The program was officially launched on Monday, November 16, 2009 and is a cooperative effort between the county and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE). To say that some groups are concerned about the program would be an understatement, especially the critics (read immigration law firms) who are concerned about racial profiling which would single out members of Gwinnett’s Latino community. Video below …
Video is also available at this link on the GBC web site.
My interest in this program goes back to the time I spent as a jailer at the Gwinnett Detention Center in 2005-2006. Latinos comprised a sizable percentage of the jail population (and probably still do), but what was surprising was that their ranks were completely out of proportion to the general population of Gwinnett’s citizenry. This was curious and I could only conclude, based mostly on personal opinion, that one contributing factor had to be a large number of illegals who had entered the jail on criminal charges.
This new chapter in Gwinnett law enforcement has not come without severe criticism from groups like the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, whose spokesperson, Teodoro Maus, says that “The sheriff has bad intentions with 287(g).” But some of the most vocal opposition has come from law firms like the one in the video above. Another local firm I discovered through a Google search offered a more sinister approach to their criticism … they utilized the ever popular “scare tactic” of the tragic parent who says, “Don’t go in the street, you’ll get killed.” Well, in this case, it wasn’t “you’ll get killed,” but “you’ll get arrested.”
Here’s the link where I found a blog post by Dustin Baxter, an associate attorney with Kuck Casablanca LLC in Atlanta. It seemed unnecessary to frighten the Gwinnett Latino community with this:
Citizens of Gwinnett County (with skin that is not white)…brace yourself for a barrage of racial profiling at its best. Prepare to be pulled over for trumped up traffic violations so under-trained police officers can inquire into your immigration status in an attempt to bring another prized “illegal” back to the station so that the County can receive federal money for housing them. Prepare to be questioned regarding your immigration status if you call the police for help after having been the victim of a crime or traffic accident.
I guess it’s fortunate that the blog is not widely read as there is a single comment, placed by someone named “gordo” who said, “this is not fair!” And since yours truly had an “opinion,” I too left a comment. The bad news is that the administrator of the blog has not seen fit to release my comment into cyberspace, so I’m going to take the liberty of doing that here:
Well of course it’s not fair … if the program were to play out as the author of this post presents it. What’s really not fair is the advance indictment of Gwinnett County’s law enforcement in a “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” scenario. It doesn’t take an “English as a second language” graduate to understand that this is unfair and unnecessary. “brace yourself,” “racial profiling,” “trumped up,” “under-trained police,” “prized ‘illegal,’ “ … this is not factual reporting, but conjecture and hyperbole. Law abiding citizens should not spend a moment of concern about 287(g) … but if for those who insist on staying in our county illegally and especially if you’re going to commit a crime, be ready to do the time and then call someone to meet you at the border.
D. Robbins
Gwinnett County has a wonderful diversity among the majority of it’s populace. Most are good, honest and law abiding. The various cultures represented here should be encouraged with messages that honor hard work and citizen involvement, not diatribes that frighten the helpless and trash local law enforcement. It is the mission of the Gwinnett County Sheriff and Police Departments to protect the lives and property of the citizens and improve the quality of life in our community. I think they’re doing a fine job of that … and the overwhelming majority of Gwinnett thinks so too!SIMILAR NEWS FACTOR POSTS:
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