Gwinnett sheriff extends controversial immigration program 287(g)
Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway has extended a controversial partnership with federal immigration authorities.
The partnership between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the county was announced Wednesday afternoon in a Facebook post. A spokesperson for the department, Shannon Volkodav, said the memorandum of understanding Conway signed this week to continue the 287(g) program does not have an expiration date.
The program, which has become a point of controversy in the county, lets deputies place ICE detainers on foreign-born arrestees who are charged with committing a local crime and brought to the county jail.
The sheriff’s statement said the program “helps make Gwinnett an unattractive community to conduct criminal activity for those who are in the country illegally.”
Others have lambasted the program for making immigrant communities less safe by discouraging them from reporting crimes.
Conway, who said he would continue the program as long as he was in office, is not seeking reelection.
About the Author
Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.
