Monday, April 23, 2012

GEORGIA HAS FIFTH MOST 287(G) DEPORTATIONS

Since fiscal year 2006, 14,831 people have been deported or allowed to voluntarily leave the U.S. through Georgia’s 287(g) programs, which is fifth among states based on total removals through 287(g).
Georgia's 287(g) program caused the removal of mostly non-criminals or people with minor offenses such as traffic. This program has promoted racial profiling and kept police resources from targeting more hardened criminals.
The Obama administration wants to cut about a quarter of the $68 million budget for 287(g) operations nationwide and eliminate the least productive ones and roll out Secure Communities fingerprint screening of inmates across the country and compares them to immigration databases. Only if there is a match or another crime ICE is supposed to intervene, otherwise ICE's current policy would be most likely to let the non-criminals go. The Republican lawmakers and the Governor who is anti-immigrant want to expand 287(g) in Georgia. However, the Secure Communities is a much better use of resources, and if ultimately the non-criminals will stay here if ICE's policy will be followed through, 287(g) will be a waste of both State and Federal resources.
The 287(g) program out of Cobb, Gwinnett, Hall and Whitfield counties have triggered the vast majority of Georgia removals: 14,815, according to the AJC. Cobb county which was responsible for over 6,000 removals, can boast that most of these removals were of non-criminals. Another prime examples on why states like Georgia should stay out of the immigration fight.