Officials find 915 inmates to deport (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Officials find 915 inmates to deport

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, February 06, 2009

Federal immigration officials flagged for deportation 915 foreign-born inmates at the Gwinnett County Jail during a 26-day surge that ended Thursday.

Of the inmates identified as being in the country illegally, 489 had a previous criminal history, said Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway.

Officials from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the results during a joint news conference Thursday at the conclusion of a targeted enforcement effort that began Jan. 12.

Federal immigration officials worked in 15-person teams from 6 a.m. to midnight during that time frame to interview all the inmates and determine their immigration status. The inmates were charged with a range of offenses including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, theft, traffic violations and probation violation, said Larry Orton, assistant field officer director for the ICE Criminal Alien Program in Atlanta.

Gwinnett County is still waiting to hear whether it will be accepted into a federal program called 287(g) that would allow local jailers to begin deportation paperwork on criminal aliens, said Conway.

“I would like to see a program like this 24/7 at the Gwinnett County Jail,” Conway said. “Gwinnett County is safer today because of this operation and the work these ICE agents did.”

Cobb, Whitfield and Hall counties and the Georgia State Patrol already participate in the 287(g) program.

Opponents say it would increase the likelihood of racial profiling and create distrust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

The Rev. Tracy Blagec, a spokesperson for Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment, or ABLE, said she suspects many of the undocumented aliens in the Gwinnett jail committed only traffic violations.

“This is local enforcement trying to enforce something that should be corrected at the national level,” Blagec said.

She instead advocates federal measures that would speed the path to citizenship, allow more work visas and permit immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.

INMATES’ OFFENSES

Inmates flagged for deportation were charged with the following offenses:

No driver’s license…………….226

Felony drug offense…………….154

Misdemeanor probation violation ….55

DUI …………………………..48

Other felony……………………45

Felony probation violation……….42

Aggravated assault………………38

City or county ordinance violation..37

Other misdemeanor ………………37

Felony theft……………………34

Misdemeanor theft ………………30

Armed robbery ………………….28

Child molestation ………………23

Burglary……………………….17

Battery ……………………….15

Rape…………………………..15

Murder…………………………13

Family violence battery …………12

Kidnapping……………………..11

Other traffic ………………….11

Obstruction……………………..9

Theft of motor vehicle …………..7

Hit and run……………………..6

Homicide by vehicle………………1

Note: for inmates with multiple charges, only the most serious offense is listed.

Information provided by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department