ATLANTA ---
Several Georgia communities have been
rejected from participation in a federal
program aimed at helping local authorities
remove illegal immigrants who are dangerous
from their communities.
Critics say
the program could encourage racial
profiling.
The Forsyth
County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the
agency was among those rejected. The
taxpayer-funded program allows local
officials to investigate the immigration
status of people arrested and jailed for
other crimes.
Cherokee
County Sheriff Roger Garrison told the
newspaper that he applied for the money in
2008 and had not yet received an answer. A
spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement said the request is still under
consideration.
Some
Atlanta-area sheriffs and police chiefs have
been eager to sign on because the program
would give them federal enforcement powers
they don't have now. Those powers include
the authority to detain, process and
transport illegal immigrants for
deportation.
Law
enforcement officials believe the program
could reduce the number of criminal and
noncriminal illegal immigrants in their
communities.
Garrison
said that this year Cherokee County deputies
have arrested 647 noncitizens, some of whom
might be in the country illegally.
Critics
have complained that the program could lead
to racial profiling and discourage
immigrants from reporting crimes to police.
The National Council of La Raza, a Latino
civil rights organization based in
Washington, released a report Friday calling
on the Obama administration to scrap the
program.
Atlantans
Building Leadership for Empowerment, a
coalition of churches and community
organizations, has also come out against the
program.
"It is
being used as a roundup, a legal way to
round up people who are not wanted in those
particular counties," said the Rev. Tracy
Blagec, the group's spokeswoman.
Many cities
and counties want into the program. A
spokeswoman for ICE said her agency can't
accept everyone into the $68 million
program, in part because of limited funding.
The
immigration agency covers the costs of
supervising the program, training officers
and buying equipment. ICE spokeswoman
Barbara Gonzalez said the city of Roswell's
applications is also still under
consideration.
Roswell has
applied three times since 2006. The first
application was rejected, and it never got a
decision for its request in 2008 to start
the program in its jail, Police Chief Ed
Williams said. The third request was sent in
May.
Nationwide,
the federal government has received 207
applications from cities, counties and state
agencies wishing to join the program since
it started in 2002, according to ICE
statistics.
Some
communities are not eager to apply.
DeKalb
County Sheriff Thomas Brown said he is
concerned he doesn't have the staff needed
to participate. He said his department has
80 openings for detention officers. He said
he would have to send 15 to 20 deputies for
weeks of outside training.
"That would
just cripple me right now," Brown said.
The Fulton
County Sheriff's Office does not plan to
apply, saying illegal immigrants make up
less than 2 percent of the inmate
population.
However,
Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said his department
needs the program.
About
one-third of the inmates in Roswell's 55-bed
jail last year were foreign-born and could
not provide a Social Security number, city
police said.
For the third time
since 2006, the Roswell Police Department is seeking
to join a federal partnership that would grant its
officers certain immigration enforcement powers.
The federal program,
known as 287(g), allows officers to screen inmates
to determine if they are in the country illegally.
Inmates suspected of
being illegal immigrants are then handed over to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement for potential
deportation after their local charges are disposed
of.
About a third of the
inmates jailed in Roswell's 55-bed facility last
year were foreign-born and could not provide a
Social Security number, Roswell Police Chief Ed
Williams said.
Williams said past
efforts to join 287(g) in 2006 and 2008 failed
because ICE has limited resources and prefers to
partner with larger police forces. Four sheriff's
departments in the state currently participate --
Cobb, Gwinnett, Hall and Whitfield counties -- along
with the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
That hasn't stopped
Williams from repeating his request.
"There is one sure way
of not getting it, and that is to not apply,"
Williams said.
The move is not
surprising, coming from a chief who has for the past
decade sent a daily fax to ICE listing inmates
suspected of being in the country illegally.
Williams said citizens are concerned about crime
that may be resulting from illegal immigration.
Mayor Jere Wood said
residents often ask him why the city is doing
nothing to deal with illegal immigrants.
"I've explained to
them that the federal government hasn't given us the
authority to do that," Wood said. "I explain to them
that we have no options."
City Council member
Nancy Diamond said the council voted unanimously
last month to approve the police department's
application, even though
"I think everybody
recognizes it's a long shot."
The 287(g) program is
touted as a way to improve safety by helping
communities deport illegal immigrants who are
criminals. Pro-immigrant groups and civil rights
organizations have criticized the program, saying it
leads to racial profiling and creates distrust of
police within the Latino community.
"Being concerned about
crime, we would want law enforcement to spend their
time enforcing the laws they were hired to enforce,
not federal immigration laws," said the Rev. Tracy
Blagec, spokeswoman for a coalition of churches and
community organizations called Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment.
Lee Fleck, a Roswell
resident and former City Council candidate who
supports 287(g), said he has little hope of Roswell
being approved. Fleck
said he hopes that the
Fulton County Sheriff's Department will one day
apply for the program, since it might have a better
shot as a larger law enforcement agency. That might
help stop illegal immigrants from coming and going
through the "revolving door" of the city and county
jails, Fleck said.
Fulton County
sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said that is
unlikely, since only about 2 percent of the inmates
the department encounters
are suspected of being
in the country illegally. The department already
notifies ICE about those inmates, she said.
The 287(g) program
"would not justify the cost and the resources to
participate at this time," Flanagan said.
It’s time to give
illegal workers a path to citizenship
8:03 amApril 28, 2010,
by ctucker
Cynthia Tucker
WASHINGTON
— An ambitious leader who tends to see opportunity in crisis, President
Obama has been criticized, even by some supporters, for attempting to do
too much too soon. But it took the Arizona controversy to force his
administration to consider tackling comprehensive immigration reform
before the mid-term elections.
With the electorate
roiled by the recession and rattled by the deficit, Democrats are
looking at significant losses in November. They’ve already been bruised
by a vicious (but necessary) fight over health care, and they aren’t in
the mood for another battle royale.
And, let’s face it,
the debate over immigration reform will be contentious, protracted and
polarized, uglier, in all likelihood, than the polemics over health
care. After all, immigration raises the specter of race and ethnicity —
subjects that don’t lend themselves to low-key, thoughtful discussion.
But those charged
with responsibility for the public weal don’t always get to choose the
most politically opportune moment to act. Sometimes, if you’re an
elected official, you just have to do the right thing when the time
comes. And the time has come for comprehensive immigration reform.
By passing an ugly
law that practically mandates racial profiling, the Arizona Legislature
brought the problem to the doorsteps of Congress. Its members would be
complicit in the shameful Arizona conduct if they refused to pass
legislation that secures the borders while giving illegal workers a
pathway to citizenship. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called
the Arizona law “a wake-up call for the federal government to act.”
With the blessing of
then-President George W. Bush, Congress tackled immigration reform in
2007. But the effort died when the GOP base rebelled against efforts to
naturalize illegal immigrants already here.
Republicans have
been reluctant to offer a pathway to citizenship since then. As Sen.
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) put it Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” “.
. .Until you secure the border, trying to really have an overall reform
package on immigration just simply can’t be done.”
That’s not to
suggest Democrats are uniformly in favor of a comprehensive plan.
They’re divided — reflecting the unease many of their voters have with
illegal immigration. In cities and towns across the country, from Iowa
to Georgia, schools have been overwhelmed by children who don’t speak
English; hospital emergency rooms have been overstretched by uninsured
immigrants; and neighborhoods have been transformed by transient
populations of working-age men living together in single-family
dwellings.
The irony is that
the United States practically invited undocumented laborers into the
country during the go-go ‘90s, when houses needed to be built, hotel
rooms needed to be cleaned and babies with working moms needed to be
tended. Back then, agribusinesses, construction companies and
carpet-makers, among others, demanded a steady supply of cheap labor.
Many of those
workers started families, paid taxes and even established small
businesses. Lawn care workers started landscape companies. Maids started
cleaning businesses. Nannies opened childcare centers. The nation that
thinks of itself as the “shining city on a hill” would be downright mean
to suggest that those workers don’t deserve a path to citizenship after
several years here.
“God has been good
to America, and we need to love all of God’s children,” said Rev.
Gregory M. Williams, president of Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment, a non-profit which advocates for social justice. “It’s a
complicated issue, but we have to start somewhere to rectify this broken
system.”
Williams, pastor of
Holsey Temple CME Church, is among the leaders of a pro-reform “faith
walk” and rally planned for Saturday in Atlanta, one of several rallies
planned around the country. He and other advocates hope to persuade
Congress that the time to do the right thing is right now.
The Capitol was the site of a protest by ethnic groups
against a proposed "English-only" driving test. CBS Atlanta's Mike
Paluska reports.
POSTED:
3:22 pm EDT April 7, 2010
UPDATED: 4:29
pm EDT April 7, 2010
ATLANTA --
A number of
different groups
protested at the
Capitol on
Wednesday
against a
proposal to make
driving tests
English-only
in Georgia.
They feel the
bill is just
another law
against
foreigners and
immigrants.
"It is
completely
anti-welcome,
anti-business,
anti-family. It
is just giving
the message
Georgia is not
welcoming
immigrants,"
said Hilda
Reardon,
co-chairwoman of
the organization
Atlantans
Building
Leadership
through
Empowerment
period . "This
bill is against
legal
immigrants,
refugees
and people that
don’t know
English."
State Sen. Jack
Murphy, a
Republican said,
"People don't
understand the
bill."
"They can get a
Georgia drivers
license
temporarily for
a year, 18
months,
whatever. They
can get this
temporary
driver's license
in their own
language,"
Murphy said.
"This bill
simply says if
you are going to
be a permit
resident in
Georgia comma
then you have to
be able to pass
the
written test in
English to get
your permanent
resident
driver's
license."
Georgia
currently offers
the state
driving exam for
a permanent
license in 12
different
foreign
languages.
The Senate
passed the bill
39-11. The bill
is now in the
House.
Civil Rights Advocates Say
Gwinnett Sheriffs are Profiling Hispanics
Jonathon Shapiro
ATLANTA(WABE) - Today, the
ACLU of Georgia released a report that accuses the Gwinnett Sheriff's
office of racial profiling, particularly of Hispanics.
Since November, Gwinnett has participated in a controversial immigration
program called 287g. It's a federal program that empowers local sheriffs
to enforce immigration law in county jails. Civil rights advocates say
287g is an exercise in racial profiling and its making Gwinnett less
safe.
Reverend Tracey Blajec of Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment
say sheriffs are using their new authority to make immigration sweeps
out of routine traffic stops.
"287g was created to deter to stop major crimes, drug crimes,
murder..what they're doing is picking them up for minor driving offenses
or driving without a license," says Blajec.
Blajec says sheriffs are arresting Hispanics and once in jail, using
287g to check their status and initiate the deportation process. She
says tension is rising and it's making the Hispanic community reluctant
to cooperate with local police.
Gwinnett sheriff Butch Conway declined to be interviewed, but in a
written statement reiterated that sheriffs do not ask for status unless
crimes have been committed.
Civil rights leaders throughout Atlanta are currently lobbying for the
elimination of 287g and the adoption of new anti-racial-profiling laws.
More than a thousand people, young and old, gathered
at Buford Highway Shopping Center, all in support of new immigration
laws and policies. CBS Atlanta's Bernard Watson
Advocates For Immigration Reform Head To D.C.
Georgia Residents To March In
Washington For Immigration Reform
By Bernard Watson, CBS Atlanta Reporter
POSTED: 9:37 pm EDT March 20, 2010
UPDATED: 9:35 am EDT March 21, 2010
ATLANTA
-- Saturday afternoon hundreds of
people, both young and old, gathered at a
Buford Highway shopping center.
Some carried signs, others wore t-shirts
with slogans in support of new immigration
laws and policies. The passionate pleas and
demands for new immigration legislation are
set to be delivered during a march on the
nation's capitol on Sunday.
"We want congress to hear our voices," said
Mynor Lopez, an Atlanta resident who planned
to attend the march.
Kung Li also planned to march
in in the nation's capital. She said the
time for change is now.
"There are 12 million people
right now living in the shadows. They can't
come out, they are living in fear. With real
immigration reform,
these
folks will have a pathway to citizenship,"
Li said.
But some opponents of
immigration reform want illegal immigrants
deported. The thought is illegal immigrants
who commit crimes
pose a security threat. But that's not how
Lopez sees it.
"There are a few people who do
break the laws and that's why we need
reform, because if somebody does something
wrong, the government doesn't have anything
to track them," he said. "They will not know
where they live, will not know their names,
they can get
out the country and come back again and
commit a crime again. That's why we need to
pass this reform."
Immigrant Students March
Through Georgia, Visit Sheriff's Office
By Alice Gordon, Staff
Writer, The Atlanta Progressive News (March 04, 2010)
(APN) LAWRENCEVILLE -- On Wednesday,
March 03, 2010, four students from Miami Dade University--Filipe Matos,
23; Gaby Pacheco, 25; Carlos Roa, 22; and Juan Rodriguez, 20--walked
through Gwinnett County, Georgia, for a discussion with Sheriff Butch
Conway who supports enforcement of the controversial law, 287(g).
The four students who began their walk
in Miami, Florida, are ultimately going to Washington, DC, where a large
rally is planned. Of the four, only Rodriguez is a legal resident and
the other three are subject to arrest.
However, none were arrested Wednesday,
but the sheriff did not show up for the discussion.
The students were instead "allowed" to
talk to Officer Williamson, who Atlanta Progressive News learned was
merely in charge of court security, in front of an office marked
Sheriff.
The office in which the sheriff
actually conducts business was in another building, an officer on duty
in the office told the APN.
Williamson listened respectfully,
saying nothing as the four complained of the terror experienced by the
immigrant community being subject to arrest while driving, as well as
their personal frustration at being raised here but being blocked from
professional positions by their legal status.
The four want to draw attention to the
need for high school graduates like themselves, who want to go to
college or into the military, to find a path toward citizenship.
The Dream Act is currently being
discussed in US Congress to achieve this.
They are also concerned with the issues
of comprehensive immigration reform including working visas, a path to
citizenship, and the end to the breakup of families.
Three of the walkers commented after
the meeting. "The immigrant law has failed us," Pacheco said.
Pacheco added that Sheriff Conway is
very active in the Special Olympics and said that she herself is a
special education teacher. "We would be on the same committee if I lived
here."
Matos said that picking on those who
are law abiding citizens "makes us feel like we are less than human
beings."
Roa said his family moved from Venzuela
for opportunity and found themselves living the American nightmare,
living in fear. He only wanted to achieve his dream of being a high
school teacher and encouraging others to strive to be college educated
professionals.
The four were met by about 60
individuals representing a coalition of organizations working for
immigration reform including the American Civil Liberties Union of
Georgia (ACLU), Atlantans Building for Leadership and Empowerment
(ABLE), Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), Cobb
Immigration Alliance, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Georgia Detention
Watch, US Human Rights Watch, and others.
These groups were united in their
opposition to 287(g), the program used by Gwinnett County and a few
other Georgia counties, which, as previously reported by APN, allows all
employees of the county sheriff's department to ask for proof of
citizenship no matter how minor the offense. Those who cannot show proof
of citizenship in counties using 287(g) such as Gwinnett and Cobb are
put in detention centers as illegal aliens.
According to Detention Watch, some
people have been wrongly identified as illegal.
"These people are being treated worse
than criminals," Priscilla Padron of Detention Watch said.
The US Department of Homeland Security
has begun logging in individuals so they can be traced by family as they
are moved, Padron said. Previously they were moved without record. Their
treatment while incarcerated is also unregulated.
"No one can enter the country legally;
you need friends with a bank account. We want comprehensive immigration
reform," Padron said.
She held up a sign saying "Reform not
Raids."
The Southern Poverty Law Center said
they were present to make sure whatever happened to the students was
legal, particularly in the event they had been arrested or detained.
Volunteers for the organization wore orange hats.
Ev Howe of ABLE said his organization
has asked for a meeting with the Sheriff. He said the sheriff told them
"it would be a waste of his time and ours."
His organization wants similar amnesty
that was provided to certain illegal immigrants in 1986 under former
President Ronald Reagan, believing that if the discussion could start
there, perhaps a reasonable compromise could be achieved.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
of 1986 also made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants and
required employers to attest to the citizenship status of their
employees. However, this apparently has not prevented more illegal
immigrants from working in the US since that time.
Members of ABLE held up signs stating
"No human being is illegal" and "We're not numbers we are human beings."
The Cobb Immigrant Alliance was
represented by Rich Pellegrino who said 287(g) was increasing crime
because people who were victims were afraid to come forward to report
victimization to the police.
Jeremy Gonzales with GLAHR said the
goal of comprehensive immigration reform is to keep local governments
from making their own ordinances.
Azadeh Shahshahani of the ACLU held up
signs saying "Immigrant rights and human rights," and "Don't break up
families."
They Are Part Of Walk To Raise
Awareness On Immigration
By Lesley Tanner, CBS Atlanta Reporter
POSTED: 6:45 pm EST March 3,
2010
UPDATED: 7:09 am EST March 4,
2010
LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga --
Carlos Roa
walked through
security at the
Gwinnett County
Courthouse,
hoping to
discuss
immigration with
Sheriff Butch
Conway. It
seemed like a
harmless
request, but as
an undocumented
immigrant, Roa
opened himself
up to potential
deportation
under the
federal 287g
program.
"If they were to
get arrested
they would be
vulnerable to
enforcement of
287g," said
Daniel Werner of
the Southern
Poverty Law
Center.
Roa is one of
four students on
a 1,500 mile
walk from Miami
to Washington,
D.C. The trip,
called the Trail
of Dreams, hopes
to raise
awareness about
immigration
issues along the
way.
"My sisters and
I all graduated
high school and
contribute to
society, but we
can't contribute
to our full
potential
because there is
no pathway to
legalization,"
said Roa.
They stopped in
Gwinnett County
to talk to
Conway about the
county's
participation in
the federal 287g
program, which
allows the
deportation of
jail inmates in
the country
illegally. Since
November,
Gwinnett has
identified more
than 900 such
inmates, but the
students said
not all of them
are harmful
criminals.
"I'm not saying
there is no such
thing as a
person who is an
immigrant and
has committed
crimes," said
Felipe Matos.
"I'm not saying
that. What I am
saying is that
is the
minority."
CBS Atlanta was
the only local
station to go
inside as the
students
discussed the
issue with
members of the
sheriff's staff.
Conway wasn't
there, but
Captain Kirk
Williamson
listened to
their concerns.
"I think it's
great that they
have the freedom
to speak out,"
said Williamson.
Conway's staff
said the
students were
told last week
he would not be
available to
talk to the
group on
Wednesday.
Staff Photo: Jonathan Phillips
One of four students walking from Miami to Washington, D.C.,
for
immigration reform, Carlos Roa speaks to members of the
community
outside of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on
Wednesday.
Roa and his fellow students Felipe Matos, right, Juan
Rodriguez and
Gaby Pacheco tried to speak with Sheriff Butch Conway about
the
287(g) program.
Wednesday, four college students on their way from Miami
to Washington converged on the Gwinnett Justice and
Administration Center in hopes of speaking with Sheriff
Butch Conway.
LAWRENCEVILLE — Wednesday,
four college students on their way from Miami to Washington
converged on the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
in hopes of speaking with Sheriff Butch Conway.
The purpose of their 1,500
mile “Trail of Dreams” walk is to address the country’s
immigration system.
As part of that agenda, the
students hoped to meet with Conway regarding the 287(g)
program recently implemented at the Gwinnett County
Jail.
The federal immigration
program, they say, is oppressive and discriminatory.
“Local enforcement of federal
policies like the one Sheriff Conway is proudly implementing
are proof of the need for real immigration reform,”
said one student, Juan
Rodriguez, 20. “These policies have the long-term effect of
criminalizing immigrants, the vast majority of whom are
here only to work hard and
provide for their families.”
Of the four walkers, Rodriguez
is the only documented alien, earning his residency in 2009.
At GJAC, representatives
from several organizations including the Georgia Latino
Alliance for Human Rights, Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment (ABLE) and Amnesty International greeted
students, who began their walk Jan. 1.
One man held a sign
proclaiming, “Reform not raids!” Another sign read, “No
human being is illegal.”
One walker, 22-year-old
Carlos Roa, is studying architecture at Miami Dade College
but is afraid he won’t be able to find a good job because of
his immigration status.
He said immigrants come to
America seeking a better life but constantly live in an
“omnipresent fear” of being deported.
“In essence we are living
the American nightmare,” he said.
After briefing media and
supporters on their intent, the students and their followers
filed into the building and toward the Sheriff’s Department
office.
There they met with a
department representative, but not Conway.
“They were told last week that
the sheriff would not be able to meet with them,” said
department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais.
“He was working today but not
in the office and was not available.”
The group considered it a
step forward.
“There was someone willing and
open to speak with us to hear our message, to understand why
we would come such a long way to share
what’s happening in the
communities,” said Felipe Matos, 23. “We have been trying
for many years to ... gain status, to find a pathway, but
for so many people ... that
pathway doesn’t exist. This is why we need immigration
reform.”
Twenty-five-year-old Gaby
Pacheco was brought to the United States in 1993 at the age
of 7. In 2006, federal immigration agents raided her
home and her parents have been
fighting deportation since. She believes immigrants here are
living in a country — and dealing with a
system — that has failed them.
“It’s disheartening to see
that a person who believes in justice ... criminalizes human
beings because of (the color of their skin) and because
they don’t have
documentation,” Pacheco said. “Today my message to not just
the sheriff, but to people all over the world, is that we
are all human beings.”
Reverend Tracy Blagec, of
ABLE, said her organization has been fighting the “good
fight” against 287(g) for a long time, pushing for
comprehensive reform.
“Because what’s happening
at the local level is not working,” she said. “This is not a
country where anybody should be living in fear ... We’re
saying that the community of faith is here, we’re going to
stay here until this battle is won.”
Atlanta.-
Defensores de los derechos de los
inmigrantes de Georgia, aplaudieron
los esfuerzos de un grupo de
legisladores estatales que busca
aprobar una ley para prohibir las
practicas de cortes raciales y
fustiga la postura de otros colegas
que apoyan una iniciativa para
agilizar las deportaciones.
Una de las propuestas, la SB 325,
presentada en el Legislativo de
Georgia, busca poner fin a las
detenciones en los que se tome en
cuenta el perfil racial de las
personas arrestadas.
“El color de la piel no es un
crimen y los ciudadanos de Georgia
estan siendo detenidos por esa razon”,
dijo Tracy L. Blagec, representante
de la organizacion Atlantians
Building Leaderships for
Empowerment, que apoya la aprobacion
del proyecto de ley.
“Muchas personas se estan viendo
forzadas a cambiar sus rutinas y sus
vidas por temor a ser detenidas y
nadie debe ser forzado a vivir de
esa manera sin ninguna razon”,
añadio.
La iniciativa fue sometida por la
senadora democrata Gloria Butler, y
es respandada por sus colegas del
mismo partido Pedro Marin, Tyrone
Brooks, Donzella James, Nan Orrck y
Stephanie Benfield.
De ser aprobada, la SB 325
prohibiria a las autoridades detener
a personas basados en su apariencia
fisica, genero, origen etnico o
creencia religiosa.
Propuesta de ley presentada en la
Asamblea General de Georgia pretende evitar que ejerzan el
perfil racial Por
Mario Guevara 01/28/2010
Una propuesta de ley
presentada el martes en la Asamblea General de Georgia
pretende evitar que las autoridades ejerzan el perfil racial
al momento de detener a las personas.
Varios legisladores
estatales y representantes de diversas organizaciones
defensoras de los inmigrantes, tanto nacionales como
locales, ofrecieron una conferencia de prensa frente al
Capitolio para informar sobre el proyecto SB325.
» Apoyan
iniciativa. Algunos activistas que participaron en
la conferencia aseguraron tener pruebas de los
arrestos policiales basados en el aspecto físico de
las personas.
"Creemos que ya es tiempo
de parar las acciones ilegales de muchos agentes de la ley
contra gente de las minorías", aseguró la senadora demócrata
por Stone Mountain, Gloria Butler, autora de la propuesta.
"Los hispanos y personas de color son los más detenidos bajo
falsas presunciones", afirmó.
Por su parte, el
representante por el condado de Gwinnett, Pedro Marín,
afirmó que está buscando el respaldo de sus colegas en la
Cámara para conseguir que la propuesta se convierta en ley.
"Hay condados en donde
efectivamente está pasando algo: los policías están parando
a los conductores por su color de piel y no debemos seguir
permitiendo eso", manifestó Marín.
El puertorriqueño aclaró
que, aunque no es la primera vez que este mismo proyecto es
presentado (no prosperó antes por falta de votos), ahora
incluyeron cláusulas de leyes similares que sí prosperaron
en otros estados.
De acuerdo con Amnistía
Internacional, 16 estados del país tienen leyes para
prevenir el perfil racial de los policías hacia los choferes
y peatones. De estos, Florida es el único de la región
sureste.
Los otros políticos que están
apoyando el SB325 son: Tyrone Brooks (D-Atlanta), Donzella
James (D-College Park), Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) y Stephanie
Benfield (D-Atlanta). Algunos de ellos dijeron ante los
medios haber sido testigos de la mala aplicación de las
leyes en las calles y las cortes locales.
Satisfacción
Los activistas que
defienden los derechos humanos de los inmigrantes se
manifestaron a favor de la iniciativa.
"Sabemos que si el color de
piel de alguien es más oscuro o que su religión no es la
cristiana, es más propenso a ser tratado diferente",
argumentó el reverendo Tracy Blagec, vicepresidente de
Atlantans Building Leadership of Empowerment (ABLE). "Aquellos
que les caen bien no son detenidos".
De igual manera, la Unión
Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) aplaudió la postura
de los legisladores.
"Está demostrado que en
Cobb la policía ha abusado del poder y creado una atmósfera
de terror entre los inmigrantes, mismo camino que lleva
Gwinnett", sostuvo Azadeh Shahshahani, vocera de ACLU en
Georgia.
¿Qué dice el proyecto?
De convertirse en ley, el
SB325 prohibiría que oficiales de la ley detengan a
conductores basándose en su apariencia física o genero.
También evitaría que se dé un trato diferente por idioma o
credo.
Para asegurarse de poder
descubrir el perfil racial, los policías estarían obligados
a reportar la etnia, el sexo y la edad de todo individuo
detenido durante una parada rutinaria de tránsito.
Los promotores del SB325
están conscientes de que el proyecto encara una batalla en
la Asamblea General, que es controlada por el Partido
Republicano.
Rev. Gregory Williams talks
about his experience being handcuffed and searched by police
in Atlanta, in an incident he called racial profiling. He
spoke at today's rally in support of anti-racial profiling
legislation.
Dozens of people rallied in
front of the state Capitol this afternoon in support of
anti-racial profiling legislation. The bill, which was
introduced today in both the House and the Senate, will do
four things, according to Sen. Gloria Butler, D-Stone
Mountain, the author of the legislation.
First, it will prohibit
racial profiling by state, county or municipal law
enforcement departments. It also will mandate law
enforcement training for preventing racial profiling. It
will require law enforcement agencies to record traffic
stops by race, ethnicity, gender and age. And finally, it
will require the Attorney General’s office to publish annual
reports detailing the traffic stop findings, as well as
establish a procedure to investigate racial profiling
complaints. Similar legislation exists in 14 states.
“The legislation is very
important for Georgia” said Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta,
one of the cosponsors of the bill. James claims she herself
was a recent victim of “driving while black” when she was
pulled over in Douglasville and asked to exit her car after
bible class. She said the police officer claimed she had
been weaving — but after asking her to exit her car didn’t
charge her with anything. According to James, her son was
also racially profiled and ordered by police to lay on the
ground. She claimed that despite the fact that her son was
wearing a suit, officers told him he “looked suspicious.” He
was not charged with any crime, either.
“If you ask most
African-American people, they will answer that they have
been a victim of racial profiling,” she said.
Similar legislation was
brought to the floor of the Georgia Capitol in 2004 but died
on the final day of the session because, according to Rep.
Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, “it was not a priority of
the House leadership.”
Sponsors of the legislators
are hopeful that this time around the bill will at least
come to a vote, with more groups involved in lobbying for
the legislation.
LAWRENCEVILLE — On Tuesday,
the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department released crime
statistics associated with the recently implemented 287(g)
program, including charges against, and nationalities of,
detainees.
As a direct result of the
program, there are 996 charges pending against 464
defendants that deputies have screened and determined to be
here illegally.
Prior to 287(g), which
began on Nov. 16, 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officials had already placed 53 detainers on inmates at the
Gwinnett County Jail, bringing the total number of
immigration holds to 523.
Sheriff’s Department
spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said statistics show that 62
percent of the jail’s foreign-born population is here
illegally.
According to those
statistics, 285 of the 464 287(g) detainers have been placed
on illegal immigrants from Mexico, far more than Honduras,
50, Guatemala, 37, and El Salvador, 25.
Other detainees are from
Africa (4), Cuba (3) and Brazil (2). The remaining 58
detainers fall in the “other” category, comprised of
countries such as Panama, India and Colombia.
The alleged crimes run the
gamut, though no detainee is charged with homicide.
Charges include:
• 178 driver’s license charges
(though officials said in all but 61 of these, there are
additional charges)
• 58 felony drug charges
• 15 aggravated assaults
• 13 sex crimes
• 45 batteries
• 23 robberies and burglaries
• 62 DUIs
Other charges include
theft, city/county ordinance violations, traffic offenses
and probation violations.
These numbers reflect what
Sheriff Butch Conway has called an effective system for
ridding Gwinnett County of illegal aliens who continue to
break the law, while detractors have called it an excuse for
racial profiling and human rights violations.
The Rev. Tracy Blagec, of
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment, has staunchly
opposed the program from the beginning and believes that
287(g) was intended to target “serious criminal offenses,”
not to deport immigrants for traffic offenses.
“Law enforcement seems to
be continuing with business as usual, rounding up Latinos,
predominantly, or other foreign-born looking individuals,
via traffic stops, and then checking their status once they
are in the jail,” Blagec said.
Conway has said before that
traffic offenses are serious.
“You’ve got people out
there getting in wrecks and killing other people because
they don’t know the rules of the road,” he said.
Georgia Bill Would Ban Racial Profiling,
Require Data Collection
By Jonathan Springston, Senior Staff
Writer, The Atlanta Progressive News (January 26, 2010)
(APN) ATLANTA – A group of Democratic
State lawmakers and advocates banded together Tuesday, January 26, 2010,
to announce the introduction of legislation to prevent law enforcement
officers from engaging in racial profiling.
"We know that if your skin color is
different or you're a religion other than Christian, you will be singled
out," the Rev. Tracy Blagec, Vice President of Communications for
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), said during a
rally at the State Capitol.
The bills, which will be identical in the State House and Senate, would
prevent all law enforcement agencies from profiling and require annual
training.
Also, the bills would require officers to track the race, ethnicity,
gender, and age of every person subject to a routine traffic stop and
require the Attorney General to publish annual public reports and
establish procedures to investigate complaints.
"This legislation would give law enforcement agencies and policymakers
all the tools they need to address racial profiling in this state,"
State Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain), chief sponsor of the Senate
version, said.
"It is my sworn duty to ensure the rights of every Georgian are
protected," State Rep. Pedro Marin (D-Duluth), co-sponsor of the House
bill, said. "It is common sense public policy to finally address this
wrong."
A 2004 report from Amnesty International USA found approximately 32
million Americans had experienced racial profiling and 87 million are
considered to be at "a high risk" of experiencing profiling at some
point in the future.
"People of color are more likely to be stopped and searched by police
even though they are less likely to have contraband," Butler said.
Accounting for the number of racial profiling incidents is often
difficult and expensive, but Butler said Tuesday establishing data
collection methods as outlined in the proposed legislation would not add
costs to the state budget.
"The data collection methods that are already used can be modified to
include and track racial profiling data," she said.
25 US states already have some type of racial profiling legislation in
place, including several in the US South, according to a 2009 ACLU
report.
"States with racial profiling-related legislation include Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and West Virginia," the report says.
"The most common provisions in state racial profiling legislation are
vague calls for law enforcement and other state agencies to establish
policies prohibiting or combating racial profiling. Twenty-one of the
twenty-five states that have enacted legislation have included such
provision, although Tennessee’s statute only 'strongly encourages' law
enforcement agencies to establish such a policy by 2010," the report
states.
"Another twelve states have written express prohibitions of racial
profiling into their state codes, even though the practice is clearly
already prohibited by the US Constitution," the report states.
The Georgia General Assembly has considered similar bills over the
previous decade, but they have all hit roadblocks during various points
of the legislative process.
Marin’s 2004 bill received plenty of bipartisan support, picking up 117
votes in the House before dying in a conference committee.
Butler said Tuesday she is optimistic about success in 2010 because more
groups are involved in the issue.
As previously reported in detail by Atlanta Progressive News, the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia and ABLE held two
forums in Gwinnett County and another in Cobb last year that allowed
many citizens to come forward and share racial profiling horror stories.
Azadeh Shahshahani, Director of the ACLU of Georgia’s National
Security/Immigrants' Rights Project, said the forums allowed the two
groups to collect key data that did not previously exist and that could
supplement proponents' arguments as the debate moves forward.
"Using race, ethnicity, or national origin as a proxy for criminal
suspicion violates the Constitutional requirement that police and other
government officials accord to all citizens the equal protection of the
law," Shahshahani said. "It is time for Georgia to join the ranks of
other states that have recognized the problem of racial profiling."
Sen. Butler
introduces bill to ban racial profiling
2:47 pmJanuary 26, 2010, by
esuggs
A few months ago, Mark
Bell left his Cobb County home after 10 p.m. to go to
the grocery store. The political consultant said a
police car came behind him. Then pulled up to his right.
Then backed up and looked at his license plate. Then
followed him to the store. The officer never stopped
him, never said a word, but the message was clear.
“It was racial profiling,”
Bell said. “Here in 2010, that is unacceptable in
Georgia. A black man can’t leave his house after 10 p.m.
without being profiled. You become fearful. It is
mentally nerve wracking.”
To address the issue,
Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain) has introduced
anti-racial profiling legislation, SB-325, that would
curb the practice of people being stopped because of
race or ethnicity. Rep. Pedro Marin (D-Duluth) also
plans to introduce a similar bill in the House.
Under Butler’s bill it
would become for police officers to record age, gender,
race and ethnicity of every person they pull over. That
data would later be analyzed to detect trends on whether
racial profiling is happening. The bill also calls for
annual officer training and Butler said it would not add
anything to the budget.
“We think this bill is
necessary, because racial profiling is a pervasive and
serious problem,” Butler said. “People of color are more
likely to be stopped and searched by police. Racial
profiling is ineffective and based on false
assumptions.”
According to Amnesty
International USA, 16 states prevent racial profiling of
motorists and pedestrians. Florida is the only state in
the Southeast that bans the practice.
“We know that if your
skin color is darker than mine or your religion is not
Christian, you are likely to be racial profiled,” said
the Rev. Tracy Blagec, the vice president of Atlantans
Building Leadership of Empowerment (ABLE), which has
joined lawmakers, along with the ACLU, to get the bill
passed. “People like me don’t get pulled over.”
But Georgia doesn’t
have any specific data on how prevalent racial profiling
is – Butler said her bill would correct that – so most
of the cases are anecdotal.
At the press conference
introducing the bill, Sen. Donzella James (D-College
Park) talked about how her son was stopped and
questioned about why he was driving a nice car and
dressed up. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta), who is white,
recalled stories of how her son would get stopped when
he was riding in cars with young black men.
Stephanie Stuckey
Benfield (D-Atlanta) said she didn’t have a personal
story to tell.
“But that may be
because I look the way I look,” said Benfield, who is
white.
Marin, who is Hispanic,
said the time is now right for the bill. In 2004, he
said 117 members of the House voted yes on a racial
profiling bill. But it later died in conference
committee. He is looking to marshal those 117
bi-partisan votes again for the new bill.
“It has been a long
struggle to get this bill before the governor,” Marin
said. “But I truly believe it is the right time to get
the bill signed, enacted and placed into law.
Activistas proinmigrantes sospechan que
hay perfil racial
Aunque no pudieron evitar la entrada en
vigor del controversial programa que afecta a indocumentados, varias
organizaciones de derechos humanos tratan de derribarlo.
La batalla en
Gwinnett de grupos proinmigrantes contra el acuerdo 287(g), entre el
Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) y la Oficina del Alguacil, se ha
intensificado.
Activistas de
distintas etnias y agrupaciones que velan por los derechos humanos
llevaron a cabo el pasado fin de semana un foro en Lawrenceville para
escuchar los testimonios de supuestas víctimas de perfil racial.
Este fue el
tercer evento de esta índole que en dos meses han realizado diversas
organizaciones proinmigrantes para tratar de comprobar que en Gwinnett,
el condado con mayor número de hispanos en Georgia, las autoridades
están efectuando detenciones basándose en la apariencia física de un
individuo.
Plan de acción
La portavoz de la
Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU), Azadeh Shahshahani,
aseguró que el 287(g) en Gwinnett empeorará el racismo que siempre ha
existido en esa localidad.
"Seguimos de pie
por la justicia social y porque no queremos que esta persecución
continúe", manifestó Shahshahani. "Las familias están siendo separadas".
Por su parte, el
reverendo Tracy Blagec, representante de Atlantans Building Leadership
for Empowerment (ABLE), otra entidad comunitaria, también se expresó
contra lo que ocurre actualmente en Gwinnett.
"Estamos viendo
que el perfil racial está incrementándose desde que los policías
recibieron el poder del 287(g)", reconoció Tracy Blagec. "Ahora ya
pueden deportar a su antojo a los extranjeros".
No obstante, en
declaraciones previas, el alguacil de Gwinnett, Butch Conway, ha negado
la existencia de perfil racial en las detenciones y en la aplicación del
287(g).
"Son argumentos
que intentan distraer a la gente de la verdad. Ninguna agencia de la ley
persigue a un grupo particular de personas", ha dicho el funcionario al
respecto.
Sin embargo,
tanto ACLU como ABLE quieren sustentar lo contrario. En el foro del
sábado, decenas de hispanos contaron sus tristes experiencias con las
fuerzas de la ley tras haber infringido el reglamento de tránsito.
Los testimonios
recopilados serán luego expuestos en un reporte de derechos humanos, tal
como el que presentaron hace un par de meses en el condado de Cobb y
cuya resolución fue que ahí hay perfil racial.
El informe
titulado 'Terror y Desolación en Cobb' destacó 10 casos de niños nacidos
en EE.UU. que sufrieron graves repercusiones tras ser separados de
alguno de sus padres.
Según Blagec, los
activistas planean presentar dicho reporte a los legisladores para que
incluyan en la próxima plenaria una ley contra el perfil racial.
Algunos casos
"Un día estaba
comiendo en un restaurante cuando un policía entró y me miró", comentó
un hombre que solo se identificó como Ismael. "El oficial salió, me
esperó en el parqueadero y me puso las luces cuando yo acababa de
subirme a mi carro".
De acuerdo con
Ismael, el agente le dijo que lo había parado por tener una luz no
permitida en el baúl del vehículo y luego le pidió su permiso de
conducir.
"Como no tengo
licencia, me llevó a la cárcel", aseguró el hombre. "Hasta el día de hoy
todavía sostengo que me detuvo por ser latino".
Otro sujeto que
tampoco quiso revelar su identidad declaró que una noche, mientras
manejaba, había cinco patrullas en un centro comercial en Norcross y
cruzó la mirada con uno de los oficiales.
"Entonces él
salió detrás de mí con las luces apagadas y de repente me puso la sirena",
explicó el hombre. "Le pregunté: '¿por qué que me para?' y él me dijo:
'¡Dame tu licencia de manejo!'", narró, "Le volví a preguntar: '¿Pero
qué es lo que hice?' y me respondió en un tono agresivo: ¿Tienes
licencia o no?".
La fuente afirmó
que le entregó su licencia de Georgia al uniformado y que a los pocos
minutos se la devolvió diciéndole: "Puedes irte".
"Entonces lo
cuestioné 'oficial, ¿verdad que no cometí ninguna infracción?' y
respondió 'te vas o te arresto', así que tuve que obedecer", aseguró.
¿Cómo va el
287(g)?
Desde que entró
en vigor el programa 287(g) en la cárcel de Gwinnett, el pasado 16 de
noviembre, 517 extranjeros que cometieron faltas menores o delitos
graves han sido puestos en proceso de deportación.
La portavoz de la
Oficina del Alguacil, Stacey Bourbonnais, reveló que quienes fueron
detenidos por infracciones menores los llegó a recoger ICE 48 horas
después, mas a los que cometieron crímenes (asesinatos, violaciones
sexuales y narcotráfico, entre otros), les colocaron un hold de
inmigración pero no serán deportados hasta que finalicen sus procesos en
la corte local.
"Nadie es
deportado por manejar sin licencia; la deportación es por haber entrado
al país ilegalmente, cargo totalmente separado", señaló el sheriff
Conway recientemente al diario Gwinnett Daily Post. "La mejor forma de
evitar ser procesado es dejar de quebrantar la ley".
El sheriff
recalcó que quiso tener el 287(g) ya que cada año entre 60 mil y 70 mil
inmigrantes son recluidos en su prisión por diferentes causas y esto
representa grandes costos a los contribuyentes.
Los condados de
Cobb, Hall y Whitfield también implementan el 287(g), al igual que la
Patrulla Estatal.
Photo: David McGregor Ben
Wheeler takes notes during the Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment
racial
profiling forum on Saturday
afternoon at Saint Lawrence Catholic Church in Lawrenceville.
LAWRENCEVILLE — Azadeh Shahshahani roused a crowd to chanting
anti-racist slogans in the
gymnasium of Saint Lawrence Catholic Church on Saturday, an
interpreter at her side.
The
American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia leader blasted racial
profiling against all races. She called the 287(g) program,
initiated three weeks ago in Gwinnett, a means for police to
seize and unjustly boot illegal immigrants from the United
States.
Hers is a sentiment frequently echoed by 287(g) detractors — and
hotly contested by its supporters.
“We
are here to stand up for social justice because we don’t want
this to continue,” said Shahshahani, one of several headliners
at an anti-racial profiling forum put on by Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment, or ABLE. “Families have been torn
apart ... people have been deported needlessly.”
The
forum, attended by more than 100 warm-clothed ABLE proponents,
illuminated a key point of disagreement between immigrant rights
activists and law enforcement leaders working to eradicate
Gwinnett of law-breaking, illegal aliens: that enacting
deportation proceedings on a local level promotes arrests based
on appearance.
The
forum was the first of its kind since 18 Sheriff’s Department
deputies returned from training last month to officially begin
287(g) processing at the Gwinnett County Jail. The program
allows local deputies to screen the immigration status of
arrestees and turn them over to federal deportation authorities.
Gwinnett joins Whitfield, Hall and Cobb counties in enforcing
federal immigration laws through 287(g). ABLE leaders count the
Georgia State Patrol as a fifth agency.
“We
see that racial profiling is on the increase given the powers
that (police) have with 287(g),” said the Rev. Tracy Blagec of
ABLE.
That viewpoint is argued by Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch
Conway, who vehemently denies any correlation between 287(g) and
racial-profiling.
“That argument is just an attempt to distract people from the
truth,” Conway said in a statement to the Post this week. “No
law enforcement agency in Gwinnett County is out targeting any
particular group of people ... People who are violating the law
are targeted because they are breaking the law. The easiest way
to avoid that is to stop violating the law.”
The
centerpiece of Saturday’s forum was testimonials given by people
of various ethnic backgrounds who consider themselves
racial-profiling victims. Several Spanish-speaking men shared
their frustrations over local police who’ve issued them traffic
tickets, while a black man said an unjustified arrest in
California by racist police 38 years ago continues to haunt him
today. ABLE officials asked that none be identified.
ACLU of Georgia plans to compile the stories into a human rights
report, with the ultimate goal of passing legislation meant to
thwart racial profiling in the next two sessions.
Blagec said the legislation — most recently introduced as Senate
Bill 41 — will call for greater accountability on the part of
law enforcement.
“They will have to document their (traffic) stops, the
demographic information of anyone stopped, the reason for the
stop ... and the alleged violation,” Blagec said.
Conway estimates there are between 60,000 and 70,000 illegal
immigrants in Gwinnett and that the county spends millions each
year incarcerating some of them. He believes 287(g) will help
alleviate the longstanding issue of jail overcrowding.
Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said a
year-to-year comparison shows the frequency of immigrant arrests
has slowed in light of 287(g).
Since the program’s Nov. 16 activation, 517 foreign-born
suspects have been booked at the Gwinnett County Jail — a
roughly 18 percent dip over the same period a year ago.
“It
does appear that word has gotten out,” Bourbonnais said. “There
appears to be some correlation with 287(g) starting.”
The
arrest figures could not be divided between legal and illegal
immigrants this week, she said.
And
it was unclear how many of those recently arrested have been
deported, as deputies in charge of verifying immigration status
are still getting acclimated to the system, Bourbonnais said.
Sheriff’s Department officials plan to release monthly
tabulations to the media that detail 287(g) activity in
Gwinnett, she said.
Once the kinks are worked out, officials expect that Immigration
and Customs Enforcement will take custody of aliens within 48
hours. An exception stands for those accused of more serious
crimes such as murder or rape.
They will be prosecuted in Gwinnett courts.
Blagec, of ABLE, said attendance at Saturday’s forum — as well
as two previous forums in Gwinnett and Cobb counties — testified
to a feeling of helplessness among some Georgia citizens.
“People don’t know what to do. They feel like they’re at the
mercy of law enforcement and unchecked power,” she said. “That
all these people have shown up is a testimony to the fact that
they need help, and our state needs help.”
Conway drew a clear distinction between criminal accusations
against aliens and their initial infraction — illegally crossing
the border.
“Just for the record, no one is deported by ICE for driving
without a license or any other crime,” he said. “They are
deported because they entered the country illegally. The charge
against them is totally separate.”
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment and the ACLU of
Georgia will sponsor a forum on racial profiling Dec. 5 in
Lawrenceville.
The forum comes just weeks after
Gwinnett County implemented the 287(g) Agreement, making it
the fifth agency in Georgia to allow for local enforcement of
federal civil immigration laws.
The forum will
provide community members of diverse backgrounds an opportunity
to share testimonies of being racially profiled and to learn
about their
rights when encountering law enforcement. The ACLU of Georgia
will compile those testimonies into a report.
“The signing of another 287g agreement in Georgia makes it
necessary now more than ever for our Georgia
Legislature to pass anti-racial
profiling legislation,” said Rev. Tracy Blagec of ABLE.
The forum is from 1-3 p.m. at Saint Lawrence Catholic Church,
319 Grayson Highway, Lawrenceville.
Starting
Monday, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department will begin its
limited enforcement of federal immigration laws. The 287(g)
program — named after the section of immigration law that
governs it — has been in the works in Gwinnett since Sheriff
Butch Conway applied for it in March 2008.
LAWRENCEVILLE — Starting Monday, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s
Department will begin its limited enforcement of federal
immigration laws.
The 287(g)
program — named after the section of immigration law that
governs it — has been in the works in Gwinnett since Sheriff
Butch Conway applied for it in March 2008.
Department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said deputies are
returning this weekend from four weeks of training in
Charleston, S.C.
“(The
training) was related to the federal immigration laws,
procedures and rules involved in processing aliens,” Bourbonnais
said in an e-mail.
Conway
will hold a press conference Monday to discuss more details
about the program and how it will be implemented in Gwinnett. He
said previously that 18 deputies will be devoted to the program,
which will allow deputies to check the immigration status of
anyone booked into the jail. Deputies then, under the
supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, can
place an immigration hold on anyone found to be in
the country
illegally, Conway said.
Sheriff’s
departments in Whitfield, Hall and Cobb counties, along with the
Georgia Department of Public Safety, already participate in the
program.
In Cobb
County, illegal immigration activist D.A. King said Sheriff Neil
Warren has reported about 7,000 illegal aliens to federal
authorities.
“Foreign
language newspapers and the ACLU regularly howl about illegals
migrating out of Cobb because they now fear capture,” King said.
“That was exactly the intent.”
For Conway,
the numbers say it all. In January, a 26-day ICE campaign
resulted in detainers being placed on 914 foreign-born inmates,
54 percent of whom had a criminal history, Conway said, with a
“vast majority” of them having prior arrests Gwinnett.
Charges
ranged from driving without a license and battery to serious
felonies such as murder, rape, armed robbery and child
molestation.
Sixty-eight
percent of foreign-born inmates, according to Conway, are here
illegally.
“Enforcement
works,” King said.
But the
program is not without its detractors, who say immigration is a
complex issue best addressed at the federal level, and that
287(g) will only increase racial profiling incidents.
“A program
originally intended to have its enforcers focus on hard crime
and serious criminal behavior in communities has instead been
misused
by law
enforcement as an instrument of hatred and bigotry for
intolerant Americans,” said the Rev. Tracy L. Blagec of
Atlantans Building
Leadership for
Empowerment.
Blagec
called the program a “piecemeal” and “ineffective” solution that
tears apart families and communities.
King said
the enforcement of immigration laws are not human rights
violations.
“Illegal
aliens should consider the consequences on their families before
they commit the crime of illegal immigration, ID fraud and tax
evasion,” he said.
October 12, 2009
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
Cobb policy:
Law enforcement or racial profiling?
Critics say
county's policy on illegal immigration has targeted, arrested
the wrong people
Over the past
two years, Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren has been referred to
as a hero, a racist and a few other things unfit to print.
That’s because
his department’s partnership with the Department of Homeland
Security, which allows deputies to detain inmates suspected of
being in the country illegally, has stirred the passions of
immigration reform advocates as well as citizens who want
current immigration laws enforced.
Warren’s own
attitude toward the program, known as 287(g), is matter-of-fact.
“Other agencies
or groups have tried to make some big thing out of it saying
that we’re profiling,” Warren said. “No. I just think it’s my
job to notify anybody — be it a federal agency, a local agency
or a state agency — that someone they’re looking for is here.”
The Cobb County
Sheriff’s Office became the first local law enforcement agency
in Georgia to begin implementing the 287(g) program in July
2007. Whitfield and Hall counties inked similar agreements in
2008 and Gwinnett is soon to follow.
As the Georgia
county with the longest track record, Cobb’s program bears
further examination. Since July 2007, 6,386 inmates suspected of
being illegal immigrants have been detained for Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, according to records provided by the Cobb
County Sheriff’s Office.
About of third
of those inmates were jailed for traffic offenses such as
driving without a license. Drunken driving was the next most
common charge. Four murder suspects, 10 alleged rapists and 27
suspected child molesters were also among those detained for
federal immigration officials.
Neither Cobb
nor ICE officials could say how many of the inmates held for ICE
were actually deported. Once they are turned over to immigration
officials, inmates suspected of being in the country illegally
still have the right to go before an immigration judge.
The Government
Office of Accountability issued a report in March about 287(g)
after studying 29 law enforcement agencies who are
participating. The report said that of the 43,000 undocumented
inmates jailed in fiscal year 2008, ICE detained about 34,000.
Of those detained, 41 percent began removal proceedings while 44
percent left the country voluntarily.
The remaining
15 percent were either given humanitarian release, sent to a
federal or state prison to serve a sentence for a felony
conviction, or were released due to the minor nature of their
offense and limited detention space.
Change after
9/11
The program
called 287(g) was named after a provision of the Illegal
Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Few
local law enforcement agencies took interest in it until the
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, raised concern about the nation’s
immigration laws.
Under 287(g),
city and state law enforcement officers are trained to take on
some of the functions of an immigration officer.
As of July, 66
state and local agencies in the United States had formed
local-federal partnerships under 287(g). The number of people
deported in ICE’s three-state region based in Atlanta more than
tripled between 2006 and 2008, from 5,249 to 18,611.
The increase in
removals from the Atlanta region can also be attributed to the
opening of a new detention center in South Georgia, said Matthew
Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security,
which oversees ICE. Immigrants from other parts of the country
are sent there and their removals are counted with those from
the Atlanta region, he said.
A heated debate
Warren says 18
of his deputies have gone through ICE’s four-week training
course, where they learn about immigration and criminal law,
examining relevant documents, cross-cultural communication,
checking immigration status and ICE policies. He’d like to send
them all.
D.A. King,
president and founder of the Dustin Inman Society, which
advocates for the enforcement of immigration laws, sees Cobb’s
participation in the 287(g) program as a success.
“Neil Warren
was the first sheriff in Georgia to take advantage of 287(g),”
King said. “He is a hero to most Americans in Georgia and we are
all very, very proud of him.”
He says anyone
who was jailed and later deported — regardless of offense —
deserved it because illegal immigration is a crime.
But critics say
the 287(g) program leads to racial profiling. They point to Cobb
statistics showing that a third of the illegal immigrants in the
jail were arrested for committing traffic violations as proof
that the program is being misapplied. They say a program
designed to rid the community of hardened criminals has been
used to round up friends and neighbors.
“Criminals are
fine; nobody wants criminals in their communities,” said the
Rev. Tracy Blagec, spokeswoman for Atlantans Building Leadership
for Empowerment. “Arrest the criminals, deport them, do what you
need to do. But good people are being picked up, being separated
from their families and having their businesses destroyed.”
Atlanta police
Chief Richard Pennington worries that Cobb’s participation in
287(g) may harm the inroads his officers are trying to make in
the Latino community. Pennington is a member of the Major City
Chiefs Association and former president of the National
Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives, both of which
are against 287(g).
“A lot of law
enforcement agencies don’t believe that’s the best way of
utilizing your resources,” Pennington said. “I think what
happens when you start to ask [questions about immigration
status] is the immigrant community becomes very skeptical of law
enforcement. At some point, they will not cooperate when there
is a crime in their community.”
Pennington says
local cops should not be inquiring about a person’s immigration
status.
The future of
287(g)
Even as more
law enforcement agencies are coming on board with 287(g), a
coalition of civil rights groups and Latin-American
organizations are calling for an to end the program.
The American
Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment are co-hosting a series of rallies in
counties around Georgia to document personal testimonies about
racial profiling. They hope to illustrate the need for
anti-racial profiling legislation in Georgia and convince county
and federal officials to rescind existing 287(g) agreements.
The ACLU of
Georgia has compiled into a report the accounts of 10 people who
had experiences of racial profiling in Cobb County, along with
interviews of five community activists or attorneys.
The report will
be presented to the Department of Homeland Security, which is
set to review existing 287(g) partnership agreements after Oct.
15. The ACLU of Georgia will also present the report at an news
conference today in Marietta.
Patricia
Badillo’s husband was arrested May 4 in Marietta after getting
into a car accident with a woman who he claims was distracted by
talking on her cellphone. The husband was arrested because he
was driving without a license. The woman complained of neck pain
only after police arrived, Badillo said.
Badillo isn’t
sure which law enforcement agency took her husband into custody.
She said he was jailed for three days in Cobb and then
transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin.
He is now out
on $5,000 bond awaiting an Oct. 20 immigration hearing.
“We spent the
little money we had saved on bail,” Badillo said. “Now we don’t
have any money left, and I can’t pay for a lawyer.”
Groups who
oppose 287(g) say illegal immigrants are being unfairly targeted
for driving without a license, even though state law makes it
impossible to obtain one. They say a path to citizenship that
would allow undocumented residents to get a driver’s license is
a better solution than locking up people who need to drive to
work.
Warren and
Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway make no apologies for
arresting unlicensed drivers. They say driving without a license
is a serious offense that should not be shrugged off.
“Somebody who
is killed in a traffic accident, they’re just as dead as if they
were shot with a pistol,” Conway said. “Those people that
haven’t shown a proficiency in driving, I think they are
dangerous out on the road. They have not shown an ability to
drive.”
Warren said he
disagrees that the 287(g) program leads to racial profiling. He
pointed out that police officers making the arrests are not the
ones checking immigration status. Deputies run the check only
after a person arrives at the jail.
The Cobb County
Sheriff’s Office has an inmate grievance process. However, they
have not received any grievances from inmates or formal
complaints from the public about how inmates detained for ICE
have been treated. The sheriff has received several verbal
complaints about the Marietta and Cobb County police departments
but “he has observed nothing to substantiate any of those
allegations,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Linda Coker said.
Warren said he
generally hears positive comments from the community.
“If I thought
any law enforcement officer in Cobb County was profiling, I
would do my own investigation,” Warren said. “I’ve made that
very clear to these groups and I hope they can believe me on
that.”
September 27, 2009
Racial Profiling Concerns In Cobb
County
Click to watch the story A new law meant to rid us of hardened criminals could
have gone wrong.
Para recoger testimonios de personas víctimas
de discriminación y detenciones basadas en perfil racial que permitan
demostrar los efectos catastróficos que ha tenido la implementación del
acuerdo 287(g) en Cobb, la organización multirracial Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE) llevará a cabo el ‘Foro
deDiscriminación Racial’ en dicho condado el 19 de septiembre.
La
misma actividad se realizó en agosto en Gwinnett, condado en el cual en
febrero pasado se implementó el Programa de Extranjeros Criminales (CAP)
en el que hubo 914 arrestos en total, 226 fueron conductores sin
licencia de Georgia y un 68 por ciento de los 914 fueron indocumentados.
Hilda Reardon, co-chair immigration task code de ABLE, indicó a Atlanta
Latino que el objetivo de esta actividad es “poder documentar los casos
de nuestra gente que ha sido detenida nada más por su aspecto físico,
situación que incluso ha afectado a ciudadanos estadounidenses, y así
apoyar a la senadora demócrata Gloria Bluter que el próximo año
propondrá una ley en contra del perfil racial en Georgia”.
Ello, añadió, porque no basta con tener los testimonios sino también
contar con los documentos necesarios que acrediten la denuncia, para lo
cual American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia (ACLU), puso a
disposición de ABLE abogados para recopilar toda la información.
Cobb fue el primer condado que implementó el acuerdo con la Agencia de
Aduanas e Inmigración (ICE) en el 2007 y, sostuvo, “lógicamente hemos
visto muchos casos de personas que fueron arrestadas y otras que
salieron de Cobb, convirtiéndolo en lo que algunos lo llaman el ‘condado
fantasma’ entonces, queremos documentar esos casos”.
El evento forma parte del compromiso que esta organización adquirió,
junto a otras 521 organizaciones nacionales, al firmar la carta que
enviaron el 25 de agosto al presidente Barak Obama demandando el término
del acuerdo 287(g) y en la cual aseguraron realizarían vigilias, marchas
y conferencias de prensa para manifestar el descontento de la decisión
de expandir el acuerdo.
El foro se llevará a cabo el 27 de septiembre para más información
llamar al 770-366-3681.
Hasta el momento Cobb, Hall y Whitield han ejecutado el acuerdo 287(g),
mientras que otros condados como DeKalb y Fulton han rechazado tal
programa.
LAWRENCEVILLE - The
Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department is a little closer to beginning its
287(g) program, officials said.
Sheriff Butch Conway and department staff members met with Immigration
and Customs Enforcement officials this week to discuss details of the
program's Memorandum of Agreement.
The Sheriff's Department participated in a trial program in 2008, and
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE announced
the partnership in
July.
For Gwinnett, the agreement means that deputies can run an immigration
check on anyone taken into custody by the Sheriff's
Department or
brought to the jail. If it is determined that a person is in the country
illegally, he or she can be detained for ICE and
possible deportation
proceedings.
Conway said in July that he is pleased to be part of the program, citing
a "tremendous problem with illegal aliens being arrested in
Gwinnett," suspects
he said often fail to show up for court, wasting county resources.
The program has also been met with criticism from groups such as
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment claiming it will
only increase racial
profiling incidents.
Proponents say it helps protect the public by giving law enforcement the
tools to identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens.
Conway said funding for Gwinnett's program was approved in last year's
budget and would carry over this year.
There is no official start date, said Sheriff's Department spokeswoman
Stacey Bourbonnais, but the department is "doing everything
we can to get the
agreements signed and the program started as soon as possible."
Conway said it will be sooner rather than later.
"I feel we are moving along well and am looking forward to beginning
this program soon," Conway said. "The meeting this week
Staff Photo: Josh Green
Buford resident Maria Cruz, left, joins Daniel
Gumba, 5, and his mother, Marina, of Duluth, at
a prayer rally blasting the 287(g) agreement.
By Josh Green Staff Writer
LAWRENCEVILLE - Congregants from the Latino church community
chanted outside the Gwinnett County Jail on Saturday during a
prayer rally blasting the deportation program they call harsh
and unfair.
"It's our job as ministers to be here today to say we're not
going to tolerate this persecution anymore," said the Rev.
Miguel Rivera, a national immigration rights activist, bringing
cheers from the crowd. "Enough is enough."
The rally, consisting of members of a dozen Latino churches and
their leaders, took aim at the federal 287(g) agreement between
Homeland Security and the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department.
The agreement, which commissioners earmarked $1 million to fund
last month, allows local authorities to
run immigration checks on anyone taken into custody - a
capability that rested solely with federal agents before.
Sheriff Butch Conway championed the program, calling it an ideal
way to manage illegal aliens arrested in Gwinnett
who vanish before coming to court.
But several groups advocating immigrant rights - most vocally
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE)
and the American Civil Liberties Union - have condemned the
program. In their eyes, it promotes racial profiling and rips
immigrant families apart for minor offenses, such as driving
without a license.
Representing the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and
Christian Leaders, Rivera said he plans to voice those concerns
to Gov. Sonny Perdue and other legislatures lacking "sympathy
for the immigrant community," he said.
"We will continue coming to (the jail) every single week if it
is necessary," he said.
Antonio Garcia, pastor of El Calvario Church in Norcross, said
an increasing number of American-born children in Gwinnett
are left with single-parent families following misdemeanor
arrests.
"As Christians, we don't want to break the law," Garcia said.
"We just want people to understand the position of the
undocumented."
Rev. Antonio Mansogo thinks 287(g) would be better served for
felony arrests, but even then would promote racial profiling, he
said.
Currently, 26 states, including Georgia, have no law explicitly
prohibiting racial profiling.
"Most of the road blocks we see are in our community," said
Mansogo, head of Norcross' Ministerio Pentecostal Central.
Rally attendee Daniel Bonilla, 10, of Lawrenceville, said his
father has been jailed three years in Texas. His crime, Bonilla
said,
was recrossing the U.S. border with Mexico to unite with his
family in Gwinnett.
"It's not right," Bonilla said. "We protest for people who've
done nothing bad."
By Jonathan
Springston, Senior Staff Writer, The Atlanta Progressive News (August
16, 2009)
(APN) ATLANTA – Top religious, community, and elected
officials gathered Tuesday, August 11, 2009, at Grady Memorial Hospital
to increase pressure on US Congress to pass
comprehensive healthcare reform this year.
US Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) argued helping every US citizen obtain health insurance is
"a moral obligation" and "a mandate from God."
"The quality of [a]
person’s healthcare should not be determined by that person’s bank
account," Lewis said.
The Congressman--who
has repeatedly sponsored single-payer universal health care in each of
the last few Sessions where it has been introduced--said the pressure is
on Democrats, with their large Congressional majorities and hold on the
White House, to get health
reform done.
"If we cannot do it, we
don’t deserve to be in the majority," Lewis said. "We cannot wait, we
cannot be patient."
The prayer rally,
sponsored by Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE) and
HealthCare For America NOW! (HCAN), was
one of many similar
events that took place around the nation as part of an effort to reach
100 Members of Congress. HCAN, as previously
covered by Atlanta
Progressive News, was formed in the last Presidential Election cycle to
demand general principles of health care reform;
it is not to be
confused with Healthcare-NOW!, which focuses on the need for
single-payer.
Debra Greenwood,
Gwinnett Vice President of ABLE, said US citizens "feel a rising tide of
anxiety" about losing their healthcare if they
lose their jobs.
Others, she noted, have partial or no coverage at all.
"Our families are
suffering from a lack of affordable quality healthcare," Greenwood said.
"[Reforming healthcare] protects all of us form
the high price of
emergency room based care and helps stem potential infectious disease."
"Right now, for the
families in our pews and in our communities, the time is ripe to pass
comprehensive health care reform,"
Beatrice Soublet,
member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, said.
Soublet’s husband,
Larry, spoke about the need for comprehensive health coverage. A retired
senior on a fixed income, Soublet suffers
from many health
ailments. Even with insurance coverage and access to care through the
Veterans’ Administration, Soublet still had
$9,000 in out of pocket
expenses for prescriptions last year.
"With the current
healthcare system, we don’t just need coverage for everyone; we need
quality, affordable coverage for everyone," he said.
Atlanta City Councilman
Ceasar Mitchell, a candidate for City Council President, said the nation
has to stop looking at healthcare "from
a Darwinist
perspective."
"[Healthcare] is a
human right," Mitchell said. "It’s something that makes our community
better, something that makes our community safer."
"The discussion is
possibly about universal care but we have universal care and that’s the
emergency room," State Sen. Gail Buckner
(D-Morrow) said. It
should be clarified that emergency rooms only provide care, however,
when someone is having an emergency; they
do not provide routine
or preventative care.
The healthcare
discussion goes to "the next level" when we consider how local health
departments are facing cuts in Georgia, she said.
"The local health
departments are where the rubber meets the road," Buckner said. "We
should be increasing services rather than cutting."
Larry Pellegrini, a
leading organizer for HCAN, spoke of the importance of debating the
healthcare issue, calling on "the shouters and
screamers" to calm
down.
"You don’t shut down
debate about life and death in this country," he said. "We will die out
as a society unless we... engage in a civil
conversation."
The Rev. Tim McDonald,
pastor of the First Iconium Baptist Church, said healthcare reform "is
about having an option."
"There is no
Presidential mandate and there is no Congressional mandate," he said.
"Nothing is being imposed on the American people."
To be sure, some
versions of legislation under consideration in the US House and Senate
would create a mandate for US citizens to
have health insurance;
however, people would be able to choose from public and private plans.
There would be no mandate to be on a
public plan, except
that those below the poverty line may receive Medicare, which is public.
Others may receive subsidies to help pay for
private health
insurance.
McDonald also addressed
the tone of the healthcare debates taking place across the nation.
"You have a right to
be heard, but what you don’t have is a right to suppress my right to be
heard," he said. "They can holler, they can
scream, they can buy
advertisements, but we are not going anywhere."
Immigrant rights
groups say they will be watching closely as Gwinnett
County launches a program that gives the sheriff's
department more
power to enforce
federal immigration laws.
Advocates for
immigrants say they worry the push could lead to
racial profiling. Their response ranges from setting
up a legal defense fund for people detained under
the new program to pushing for anti-racial profiling
legislation at the state level to pressing the
federal Homeland Security Department to ensure the
program is implemented properly.
"Ultimately, what we
are calling for is for the Obama administration to
address the serious concern of racial profiling that
comes with 287(g),"
said
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the
Georgia Alliance of Latino Elected Officials.
The 287(g) program,
named for the section of immigration law that
governs it, trains state and local officers in
immigration law enforcement and enables them to
identify and detain illegal immigrants. Including 11
agencies approved last month, a total of 77 law
enforcement agencies across the
U.S. participate.
Critics have long said the
program, which took effect in
1996 but was little used until
2006, leads to people who look
Hispanic being stopped for minor
offenses, detained and possibly
deported.
In
the Georgia counties where the
program is already in place -
Hall, Cobb and Whitfield -
immigrant rights and civil
liberties groups say racial
profiling is a problem. The
sheriff's departments in those
counties deny that, saying that
immigration status isn't
determined until someone has
been booked into the jail on
another charge.
Earlier this year, the
Government Accountability Office
examined the program, which is
administered by
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, and said ICE
had not clearly explained to
local law enforcement agencies
that serious criminal offenders,
such as drug smugglers and
murderers, should be the main
targets.
Homeland Security, which
oversees ICE, says changes have
been made to incorporate the
GAO's suggestions into a
revamped agreement to be signed
by all participating agencies.
Some groups, including the
American Civil Liberties Union,
have said the changes don't go
far enough. Rev. Tracy Blagec of
the faith-based group Atlantans
Building Leadership for
Empowerment, or ABLE, said she
was disappointed that the Obama
administration approved 11 new
287(g) agreements last month.
"We're hoping it won't even go
into effect," she said, citing
hopes that immigration reform
being discussed in Congress
could eliminate or overhaul the
program.
There is no date set for
Gwinnett's agreement to go into
effect. The sheriff's department
and ICE are in the process of
signing the agreement,
said Homeland Security spokesman
Matt Chandler. Then, 18 new
deputies will have to be hired
and trained to take the place of
the 18 who will be devoted to
the new program. The 287(g)
deputies will also have to be
trained by ICE, said sheriff's
spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais.
The ACLU and ABLE on Saturday
held a meeting in the Gwinnett
County town of Lilburn to kick
off a campaign to push for
anti-racial profiling
legislation. It drew about 200
people.
"It seems with the passage and
implementation of 287(g)
agreements in Georgia there is
even more of a need now for
anti-racial profiling
legislation," said ACLU lawyer
Azadeh Shahshahani.
She cited a test run in January
and February when ICE screened
inmates at the Gwinnett jail
over a 26-day period and found
68 percent of
the 914 foreign-born inmates
were in the country illegally.
The largest number, 226, had
been arrested for driving
without a license.
"That by itself goes to show
that we can't be sure the 287(g)
program will be used in Gwinnett
County to target the most
serious criminals," Shahshahani
said.
The second most common reason
for arrests, at 154, was felony
drug charges. Other charges
ranged from misdemeanors to
murder,
rape and child molestation.
But Gwinnett Sheriff Butch
Conway has said that of all the
foreign-born inmates in the jail
during the test, nearly half had
a criminal history.
Adelina Nicholls,
executive director of the
Georgia Latino Alliance for
Human Rights, said her group is
responding by organizing a fund
to
help pay for the legal defense
of illegal immigrants who find
themselves in deportation
proceedings.
By Jonathan Springston, Senior Staff Writer, The Atlanta
Progressive News (August 02, 2009)
(APN) LILBURN -- About 200 citizens gathered at Our
Lady of the Americas Catholic Mission in Gwinnett County Saturday,
August 01, 2009, to share and discuss racial profiling issues and local
enforcement of federal civil immigration laws.
Advocates claim that
racial profiling, particularly under the controversial 287(g) program,
persists, despite efforts by US Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and others to
modify the program in recent months.
The Know Your
Rights/Tell Your Story forum, cosponsored by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia and Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment (ABLE), gave those in attendance a chance to share horror
stories about encounters with local law enforcement and to learn their
rights.
Several Hispanic
citizens shared emotional stories of encounters with local law
enforcement that included incidents of verbal abuse and allegations of
harassment and civil rights violations. Many said they felt embarrassed
and afraid after encounters.
Dr. Rene Gonzalez, 73,
said an officer pulled him over in Buford a few weeks ago for wearing a
red t-shirt that said “Mexico” on it. Gonzalez
told the officer that
he was going home but the officer allegedly said, "No, your home is in
Mexico."
"The ironic part is I
was born, raised, and educated in this country," Gonzalez said.
Representatives from the ACLU of Georgia set up a
table Saturday and listened to testimonials like these. The group
promised to compile
what they hear into a human rights report with the
ultimate goal of passing anti-racial profiling legislation in the
Georgia General Assembly.
Some lawmakers have
tried to push such legislation through in past Sessions with little
success. State Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain)
first introduced such
legislation in 1999. It passed the Senate but stalled in the House
because, Butler said, other lawmakers loaded it with amendments.
"You would think we
would have moved away from racial profiling issues," Butler told the
audience Saturday. "Instead of moving away, it keeps building up and
building up."
Butler,
who serves as the Deputy Minority Whip, last sponsored anti-profiling
legislation in 2005 (SB 148) but promised to introduce a bill
during the 2010
Session. "Sometimes I’m out there working by myself but that’s what it
takes," she said.
Other lawmakers have
taken up the mantle in recent years. State Rep. Tyrone Brooks
(D-Atlanta) sponsored HB 53 in 2009 while State
Rep. Pedro Marin
(D-Duluth) sponsored HB 110.
While the two bills are
numbered differently, the bills strive to obtain similar goals.
Anti-profiling legislation would prohibit law enforcement
officers from
impermissibly using race or ethnicity in determining whether or not to
stop a motorist.
The bills would require
annual training of law enforcement officers on impermissible uses of
race and ethnicity in stopping vehicles and require officers to document
the race, ethnicity, and gender of a motorist and passengers.
"The Georgia
Legislature, rather than building bridges, is building walls and we need
to stop that," Marin said Saturday.
"There are many that
don’t think this issue is an issue," Butler added. "They think racial
profiling is OK and it’s not."
THE 287(g)
PROGRAM
ABLE and the ACLU of
Georgia decided to hold the forum after the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) announced July 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) has standardized a Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) to enter into
so-called 287 (g) programs with 11 law enforcement jurisdictions,
including the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department.
As previously
reported by Atlanta Progressive News, Section 287 (g) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act allows deputies, under the supervision
of ICE agents, to
place “detainers” on inmates who are in the United States illegally.
Once identified, those inmates are turned over to the ICE for
deportation proceedings.
Adelina Nichols of
the Georgia Latino Association for Human Rights (GLAHR) said Saturday
the program’s impact "has been tremendous and hurtful to Latino
communities."
Proponents argue the
program enhances immigration enforcement nationwide.
"The 287(g) program
is an essential component of DHS’ comprehensive immigration enforcement
strategy," ICE Assistant Secretary John
Morton said in a
July 10 press release. "The new agreement strengthens ICE’s oversight of
the program and allows us to better utilize the resources and
capabilities of our law enforcement partners across the nation."
US Rep. Bennie
Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland
Security, also praised the program changes.
"In March 2009, the
Committee on Homeland Security held an oversight hearing to expose the
gaping deficiencies in the 287(g) program. That hearing revealed that
the precipitous growth in the 287(g) program had caused the program to
dangerously morph beyond its original boundaries and led to a lack of
accountability. Under the previous Administration, ICE’s failure to
provide leadership permitted local officials to define the
mission and goals of
this Federal program," Thompson said in a press release sent to APN.
"I am gratified that
this Committee’s oversight led the Department to revamp the 287(g)
program. This $60 million initiative was intended to allow local law
enforcement authorities to remove dangerous aliens. With the proper
training and supervision, these local peacekeepers could have
been a potent force
multiplier. Unfortunately, this opportunity was squandered and the
previous Administration allowed popularity to become a replacement for
documented performance and constitutional principles."
"The reforms that DHS
announced today will bring this program back in line with its original
statutory purpose and Congressional intent. I
commend the Secretary
for her leadership and look forward to continuing to work together to
bring about other necessary reforms within this Department," Thompson
said.
Bur advocates claim the
changes have not been meaningful.
The Gwinnett County
Sheriff’s Department applied for the program in March 2008 and received
the support of the Gwinnett County Commission
in funding 18 deputy
positions in order to implement the program.
On Jan. 12, 2009, the
Sheriff’s Department and the ICE began a 26-day "surge" at the county
jail to check the immigration status of all inmates.
At the end of the 26
days, the ICE placed detainers on 914 foreign-born inmates. Of the 914
inmates, 54 percent had a previous criminal record, according to the
Sheriff’s Department. The county determined that 68 percent of its
foreign-born inmates were here illegally.
"This is a program that
has been much needed here in Gwinnett County because we have such a
large population of illegal aliens from countries around the world
living here," Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway said in a July 13 statement.
"It is unfortunate that not all of our population has
chosen to abide by our
immigration laws. Now, we will have an avenue when someone is arrested
to check their immigration status and place a hold on them for
deportation if they are not here legally."
Officials are not sure
when the program is expected to start because the Sheriff’s Department
is still working on the MOA with DHS and ICE.
The county will also
have to hire 18 new deputies to replace those manning the program.
If completed, Gwinnett
would become the fifth agency in Georgia to use the program. Three
counties' Sheriff's Departments--Cobb, Hall, and Whitfield Counties--in
addition to the Georgia Department of Public Safety are already using
the program.
There are reports,
however, that have found the ICE is not exercising proper oversight over
local jurisdictions.
The Government
Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in March that found
several program flaws and made recommendations to DHS.
"Program objectives
have not been documented in any program-related materials, guidance on
how and when to use program authority is inconsistent, guidance on how
ICE officials are to supervise officers from participating agencies has
not been developed, data that participating agencies are to track and
report to ICE has not been defined, and performance measures to track
and evaluate progress toward meeting program objectives have not been
developed," the report states.
The GAO found more than
half of the 29 state and local enforcement agencies reviewed had
received complaints about how officers are using the 287 (g) program,
including reports of racial profiling.
"Taken together, the
lack of internal controls makes it difficult for ICE to ensure that the
program is operating as intended," the report notes. "ICE and
participating agencies used program resources mainly for personnel,
training, and equipment, and participating agencies reported activities
and benefits, such as a
reduction in crime and the removal of repeat offenders."
The national ACLU made
a Congressional request and multiple Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA)
requests to obtain and review the new MOAs issued by DHS.
After reviewing the
agreements, the ACLU determined that any changes the DHS has made to the
287 (g) program have little or no effect.
"The new MOA
includes a list of 'priority levels' of different categories of
suspected violators, but even assuming those priorities are sound, the
MOA does not include
any measures to ensure that its priorities translate into practice, such
as requiring that arrest statistics reflect the priority levels,
requiring agencies to implement an effective prioritization system or
preventing the use of local resources to go after low-priority
offenders," the national ACLU said in a July 17 press release.
"A number of DHS's
claimed improvements simply cannot be verified by comparing the old and
new MOAs. For example, DHS claimed that the new MOA would reduce
concerns that individuals are arrested for minor or pretextual
violations by requiring that the arresting authority pursue any criminal
charges that justified the original arrest. But the new MOA only 'expect[s],'
rather than 'requires,' the pursuit of charges. The old MOA contained
the same 'expectation," the ACLU said.
"Some aspects of new
MOA are clearly a step in the wrong direction. The new MOA reduces the
amount of experience that a local law
enforcement officer
needs to become MOA-designated; expands the list of powers granted to
task force personnel; attempts to remove 287(g) documents from public
scrutiny by subjecting even state or local records to ICE control and
claiming that documents related to the 287(g) are
no longer public
records; reduces the already-low data collection and tracking
requirements under the old agreement; and authorizes the
exclusion of civilian
personnel from some program reviews," the ACLU said.
July 12, 2009
Anti enforcement
subversives oppose 287 (g) in Gwinnett County Georgia
ICE enters deal with Gwinnett sheriff
Click to view article Sheriff's Department can now check immigration status of
anyone in custody By Jamie Ward Staff Writer
LAWRENCEVILLE - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and itsImmigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced
Friday that it had entered into a 287(g) agreement with the
Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department and 10 other law
enforcement agencies nationwide.
That makes 77 national 287(g) agreements signed with ICE.
For Gwinnett County, it means that anybody brought into custody
by the Sheriff's Department or brought to the jail is subject to
an
immigration check by officers to see if they are in the country
legally. If it's determined that a person in custody is here
illegally, then officers
have the right to detain that person and have them turned over
to ICE officials for possible deportation.
The federal announcement was welcomed by Sheriff Butch Conway,
whose department participated in a trial 287(g) program in 2008.
"I'm very pleased with this because I've been doing lots of
squeaking the last few months," Conway said. "I've been working
very closely
with Sen. (Saxby) Chambliss and Sen. (Johnny) Isakson to try and
get this done."
"There's a tremendous problem with illegal aliens being arrested
in Gwinnett," Conway said. "And then when they're arrested, they
don't
show up for court ... They take up a tremendous amount of our
resources and it hurts the county's quality of life
tremendously."
Conway said he'd be receiving, signing and returning a copy of
the agreement next week from ICE and that it would probably take
two to
three months to implement the program. He also said that funding
for the program was already approved in last year's budget and
was to
"carry over" this year.
In December, the group Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment opposed 287(g) by delivering 1,000 signed Nativity
cards, a
decorated Christmas tree and a gift to Conway.
A call to the group's Tracy Blagec was not returned before press
time.
In other 287(g) news, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of
Homeland Security, said that ICE had standardized the agreement
it uses to enter
into 287(g) partnerships with law enforcement agencies like
Gwinnett's.
Napolitano said the new agreement supports local efforts to
protect public safety by giving law enforcement the tools to
identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens.
"It also promotes consistency across the board to ensure that
all our state and local law enforcement partners are using the
same standards
in implementing the 287(g) program," Napolitano said in a news
release.
One key component to the new agreement is meant to address
concerns that individuals could be arrested for minor offenses
in order to
initiate removal proceedings.
To address this, the agreement states that participating local
law enforcement agencies are required to pursue all criminal
charges that
originally caused the offender to be taken into custody.
"The new agreement strengthens ICE's oversight of the program
and allows us to better utilize the resources and capabilities
of our law enforcement partners across the nation," said ICE
Assistant Secretary John Morton.
“I have a painting
business I’m losing because of illegals,” he said. “I
can’t bid over them, and the American people are using
them.
My main painter is from
Colombia, and he’s legal. He’s staying home, too, like I
am.”
Jill Benson spoke of how
her neighborhood just off Buford Highway near Duluth has
deteriorated from repeated gang tagging and violence.
“Thanks to the tireless
efforts of neighbors and law enforcement, we seem to be
making some headway,” she said. “Countless neighborhoods
like mine in Gwinnett have been negatively impacted by
illegal immigration [which has led to] plummeting
property values and fears for our safety,” she said.
ATLANTA -- The
issue of how to deal with illegal,
undocumented workers is causing
controversy around metro Atlanta,
especially in Gwinnett County where
sheriff's deputies are now trained
in detaining and deporting illegal
immigrants.
Some people are wondering if this is
the right way to spend taxpayer
money.
Officials want to give deputies at
the Gwinnett County Jail the power
to flag down illegal immigrants
who’ve committed crimes and start
the deportation process.
But
immigration advocates say that’ll
target honest hard working people as
well.
Maria Martinez is a mother of two children, 14-year-old Miledy and 10-year- old Hector.
Both were born in Gwinnett County and go to school here, but if Martinez is deported back to Mexico, her kids would go with
her and, she said, face a tough road in a land where crime has grown too violent.
“I’m really very scared for my children,” said Martinez.
Martinez was arrested in Buford two months ago for driving without a license.
While in jail, immigration officials found out she was in Georgia illegally.
Now she faces deportation.
Martinez said she’s a hardworking mom who just wants a better life for her family.
“I pay my taxes. I don’t have a criminal record,” said Martinez.
Last month Gwinnett County approved a plan to hire 18 new sheriff’s deputies and grant the power to flag down illegal immigrants who’ve committed crimes and hold them for deportation.
Right now only federal immigration officials can do that.
The program will cost more than a million dollars of county money.
Opponents say that’s too expensive.
"What’s wrong with rounding them up and sending them back if they’re here illegally," asked reporter Christopher King.
“They’re also getting people who are honest and hard working who don’t have documents in this country,” said Hilda Reardon.
“It’s ridiculous. I find it laughable,” said Sheriff Butch Conway.
Conway said the policy goes after crooks.
“It’s targeting the people who commit crimes who are here illegally,” said Conway.
Continuando con sus acciones contra los devastadores efectos que ha
tenido en la comunidad latina el acuerdo 287(g) que han
adquirido algunos condados en Georgia y las inescrupulosas deportaciones
que han separado familias, la organización sin fines de
lucro
Interfaith Immigration Coalition y Atlantan’s Building Leadership for
Empowerment (ABLE), alzó su voz exigiendo una reforma
migratoria justa a la vez que, aseguró, no deparará con su movimiento de
fe.
El pasado 12 de febrero miembros de distintas organizaciones religiosas
y defensoras de los derechos humanos, participaron en
la
vigilia de oración ‘Dios escucha el clamor del pueblo’ que se llevó a
cabo en la iglesia episcopal Christ Church Episcopal en Gwinnett,
en la
cual rezaron por los inmigrantes y sus familias, y para que los
legisladores federales actúen en beneficio de los inmigrantes.
Así activistas como Teodoro Maus, presidente de la Alianza Latina Pro
Derechos Humanos de Georgia, Aarón Ortiz, abogado de la
firma
Hernan, Taylor&Lee, Elise Shore, consejera regional del Fondo
México-Americano para la Defensa Legal y Educativa, América
Gruner,
activista comunitaria, Jerry González, director ejecutivo de la
Asociación de Representantes Latinos Electos de Georgia y el
representante Pedro Marín (D-Duluth), además de ministros de las
iglesias episcopales y metodistas se unieron en oración.
CORO SIN MÚSICA
La puertorriqueña Nora Cruz Díaz, encargada del ministerio hispano de
Christ Church Episcopal, confía en que este tipo de eventos
que se
realizan a nivel local, tengan algún efecto en las autoridades locales y
cambien sus políticas.
“Espero que haya un cambio en Norcross, que la policía no esté tan
encima de la gente, porque el mal concepto de los hispanos no
es por
la gente de bien sino por los criminales. Si hubiese una forma de
dividir los buenos de los criminales, las cosas serían distintas,
pero
eso no se puede hacer. Los estadounidenses deben conocer la realidad y
terminar con la persecución”, sostuvo.
Aunque asegura que hasta el momento no ha bajado la afluencia de
creyentes a la iglesia, sí han tenido pérdidas importantes que han
modificado algunos programas como el coro hispano que quedó sin músicos
pues estos regresaron a México por falta de trabajo.
El mexicano Marcos Canol y su esposa Alberta Ermina, son miembros del
coro de la iglesia y han debido enfrentar una serie de cambios
por
las partidas de los guitarristas. De cantar con música de fondo han
debido acostumbrarse a cantar a capela, pero además tuvieron
que
cambiar los días de ensayos de los jueves a los domingos antes de la
misa.
“Se suspendieron los ensayos porque como no hay quien toque instrumentos
solo teníamos que practicar la letra, pero además
porque
algunas personas que viven muy lejos de la iglesia tienen miedo a ser
detenidos por la policía si manejan sin licencia”, dijo.
Atlanta Latino
In Gwinnett Churches
and Activists Lobby for Immigration Reform
by Alejandra Milojevic
Ñanco
2/26/2009
Continuing its actions
against the devastating effects of Section 287(g) that some Georgia
counties have implemented and the
unscrupulous
deportations that have separated families, the not-for-profit
organization Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Atlantans
Building Leadership for
Empowerment (ABLE), raised its voice demanding fair immigration reform,
at the same time assuring that it
won’t hold with its
faith movement.
Last February 12,
members of different religious organizations and human rights activists,
participated in a prayer vigil, “God Hears
the Cry of the People,”
that took place in Christ Episcopal Church in Gwinnett, in which they
prayed for the immigrants and their families
and for the federal
legislators to act on behalf of immigrants.
Activists like Teodoro
Maus, President of the Georgia Latina Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR),
Arrón Ortiz, a lawyer from the firm
of Hernan, Taylor &
Lee, Elise Shore, Regional Counsel for Mexican-American Legal Defense
and Education Fund (Maldef), América
Gruner, community
activist, Jerry González of Georgia Association of Latino Elected
Officials (GALEO) and Representative Pedro
Marín (D-Duluth), as
well other Episcopal and Methodist ministers, joined in the prayer.
Chorus without Music
Puerto Rican native
Nora Cruz Díaz, in charge of the Hispanic ministry of Christ Episcopal
Church, is confident that holding this kind
event at the local
level will have an effect on the local authorities and change their
policies.
I hope things will
change in Norcross, that the police won’t be after people all the time,
because the poor image of Hispanics isn’t
because of the good
people, but because of the criminals. If there were a way to separate
the good ones from the criminals, things
would be different, but
that can’t be. U.S. citizens should know the truth and end the
persecution, she said.
Although she maintains
that up to now the inflow of believers to the church has not gone down,
there have been some significant losses
that have affected some
programs such as the Hispanic choir that has no musicians because they
have returned to Mexico due to lack
of work.
The Mexican Marcos
Canol and his wife Alberta Ermina are members of the church choir and
have had to face a number of changes
because guitar players
have left.
When it comes to
singing with accompaniment, they have had to get used to singing a
capella, but they also had to change the days for rehearsals from
Thursday to Sunday before mass.
“They cancelled the
rehearsals because there’s no one to play the instruments, only practice
the words, but also because some people
who live very far from
the church are afraid of being detained by the police if they drive
without a license,” she said.
Staff photo: Josh D. Weiss
Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway, left, and
Larry Orton, an assistant field office director
for ICE in Atlanta, right, speak to the media
about the county and ICE’s collaborative effort
to deport illegal aliens who have committed a
crime during a press conference held at the
Gwinnett County Prison Thursday.
LAWRENCEVILLE -
An evaluation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has
found that 68 percent of the current, foreign-born inmates at
the Gwinnett County Jail entered the United States illegally.
The 26-day evaluation, referred to as a CAP (Criminal Alien
Program) surge, concluded Wednesday. In that time span, ICE
agents pinpointed 914 jail inmates and new book-ins who are
illegal immigrants. About a third of those have been released to
ICE already, while the others are being detained for possible
deportation, officials announced at a jail press conference.
The immigrants came to Gwinnett from several countries,
including Mexico and more far-flung locales like Honduras and
Russia, officials said.
Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway, who's been criticized for
supporting a fast-track system to deport criminal aliens, stressed that no
one outside the jail was checked for citizenship during the
surge. All jail inmates, which average about 2,700 per day,
were screened, regardless of their claim to citizenship, he
said.
Of the 914 criminal aliens identified, Conway noted that dozens
are charged with violent offenses, including murder (13), armed
robbery
(28) and aggravated assault (38). Conversely, nearly a third of
those identified (274) are charged with DUI or driving with
no license.
"I can categorically state that Gwinnett County is safer today
because of this operation," Conway said. "(The county) has a
problem
with
criminal illegal aliens. I think we're the elephant in the room
with that one."
Larry Orton, an assistant field office director for ICE in
Atlanta, stressed the CAP surge is separate from - and should
not influence
Gwinnett's possibility of being approved for - another federal
program, 287 (g).
Under 287 (g), ICE would train jail deputies to access federal
immigration databases, enabling them to begin deportation
proceedings
themselves. Conway said he hopes the program will be activated
soon, pending federal approval.
Orton said the Atlanta ICE office processed 7,000 criminal alien
cases last year - more than double the 3,000 cases tallied
a year
prior.
Similar CAP programs have been completed recently in South
Carolina and Texas. Gwinnett's dense foreign-born population
made it a logical testing ground, he said.
Conway said Gwinnettians spend as much as $7 million per year
housing illegal immigrants at the jail, and a permanent program
like the
CAP surge would shave costs to taxpayers.
"I would like to see a program like this 24-7," he said.
Opponents say the federal programs lead to racial profiling and
the tearing apart of immigrant families.
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment recently joined
two more human-rights advocacy groups - Georgia Detention
Watch and
Concerned Black Clergy of metro Atlanta - who have publicly
voiced disapproval of Conway's plans.
Opponents of 287 (g) announced Thursday they will next meet to
pray "for an end to unscrupulous deportations" in Georgia
Fotos: Judith Martínez Sadri/AL.
Pese a las gélidas temperaturas del miércoles 21 de enero en Atlanta y
convencidos
de que “la fe mueve montañas”, casi 30 líderes religiosos miembros de la
organización multirracial Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment
(ABLE) se congregaron frente a la oficina principal del Servicio de
Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) en el centro de
la ciudad, para orar y que cese la implementación del acuerdo 287 (g).
Desde el 12 de enero, el alguacil de Gwinnett inició temporalmente la
medida que permite deportar a inmigrantes sin documentos desde la cárcel.
Ante la negativa del alguacil Butch Conway de recibir a la comitiva de
ABLE, los activistas buscaron dialogar directamente con ICE pero su
intento falló.
Lo que empezó con una oración se tornó en una situación incómoda cuando
un oficial
que resguardaba el edificio federal y no
quiso identificarse, impidió que Josh D. Weiss, fotoperiodista del
diario Gwinnett Daily Post hiciera su trabajo.
“Sé los límites en lo que hago, no estoy seguro de la ley en cuanto a
tomar fotos de un edificio federal pero no me iba a arriesgar a ser
encarcelado por eso. Lo que el oficial hizo me pareció ridículo ”, dijo
Weiss.
Por su parte, el reverendo Gregory Williams pidó una explicación al
oficial y tras un intercambio de palabras logró entrar al edificio
federal a dejar unas cartas. Al salir
de ICE Williams dijo sentirse decepcionado.
“Me entristece que en una de las oficinas de nuestro gobierno nos
recibieron con esa actitud conflictiva y que se nos negara el derecho de
entrar a dejar las cartas, somos
protestantes pacíficos. La constitución nos
da el derecho de protestar en paz no hemos cometido crímenes y nos
recibieron en la puerta como criminales...eso me preocupa”, dijo el
activista afroamericano quien reflexionó sobre el día histórico que un
día previo a su protesta se vivió en todo el mundo.
“Tuvimos una gran ceremonia de inauguración presidencial pero todavía
nos marginan y somos tratados sin igualdad y eso me dice que tenemos
mucho más por hacer. Soy un hombre de Dios y la Biblia es mi principio,
creo que todos los hombres fuimos creados iguales necesitamos entender y
educar que somos familia y estamos en esto juntos sin distinción de
colores”, afirmó Williams.
El siguiente paso de ABLE es continuar con las reuniones con el gabinete
de Obama.
“Nos hemos reunido con su personal (de Obama) y habrá juntas durante el
año para pedirle una reforma migratoria justa. Durante los primeros 100
días de su mandato habrá juntas con los oficiales electos en todo el
país para presionar por una reforma justa”, agregó Dwayne Patterson,
miembro de Center for Community Change.
VOCES LATINAS
Antonia Mancilla miembro de la Iglesia Sagrado Corazón acudió a la
vigilia por que está convencida que la oración tiene poderes.
“Nuestras oraciones sí van a tener efecto, me consta el poder de la
oración”, dijo. Por su parte, Adriana Maluf, originaria de Argentina ha
sido testigo de las separaciones familiares y por eso se unió a la
vigilia.
“Trabajo para la iglesia del Sagrado Corazón y a diario nos llegan
familias que han sido separadas y con niños llorando y mamás
desesperadas, queremos que haya una solución. Grandes líderes como
Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. y la Madre Teresa lograron sus
cometidos con la oración”, afirmó.
A la mexicana Hilda Reardon miembro de ABLE, le preocupa que haya
detenciones injustas en las cárceles y deportaciones que destruyan las
familias.
“Si alguna persona es detenida por no pararse en un signo de alto y es
llevada a la cárcel y tratada como criminal, no es justo hay diferentes
niveles de criminalidad. No queremos que las familias sean divididas y
los niños terminen en Foster Homes eso es una carga económica para el
país”, afirmó.
La próxima vigilia en la que participará ABLE es ‘Dios Escucha el Clamor
del Pueblo’ que se llevará a cabo el jueves 12 de febrero a las 7:30
p.m. en Christ Church Episcopal, 400 Holcomb Bridge Rd, Norcross, 30071.
Para más información llame al 770-720-5973
January 22, 2009
1/22/2009
Staff Photos: Josh D. Weiss
Mariluz Vergara of St. John Neumann Catholic
Church reads a prayer in Spanish during ABLE’s
vigil in front of the Atlanta ICE building. ABLE
was protesting a 26-day fast-tracking of
deportations in Gwinnett County and asking that
Gwinnett not enter into the agreement with ICE.
Rev. Aquiles Martinez holds up a sign during
the ABLE demonstration at the Atlanta
Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in
downtown Atlanta on Wednesday.
Prayer and protest Activists
decry Gwinnett’s effort to deport foreign jail inmates
By Josh Green
ATLANTA
- Activists endured bone-chilling temperatures Wednesday morning
on the streets
of downtown Atlanta to publicly decry Gwinnett
County's efforts to expel foreign jail inmates, leading to a
brief clash with security officers guarding a federal building.
About 30 supporters and members of ABLE - Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment - huddled, chanted, prayed and sang
"This Land is Your Land," among other hopeful tunes, in the
shadow of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) downtown
headquarters, much to the chagrin of a handful of security
officers.
As ABLE leaders crowded a gated entryway, the officers
physically held them off the property, demanding that all
recording equipment be turned off and urging those gathered to
voice concerns via letters to ICE officials. After several tense
moments, an official who identified himself only as "the
district commander" ushered in an activist who delivered two
letters to ICE brass.
Emotions ran high for a meeting billed as a prayer vigil.
The resistance from security "demonstrates what we're up
against," ABLE member Tracy Blagec said. "They're breaking up
families and they don't want to talk about it."
The commotion centered on the efforts of Gwinnett County leaders
to implement an agreement with ICE known as 287 (g), a means to
fast-track deportations of jail inmates residing in the United
States illegally.
In December, ABLE leaders held a Christmas-themed vigil at the
Gwinnett County Jail, deriding the Sheriff's Department's top
official, Sheriff Butch Conway.
Conway has applied - and has earned the promise of financial
backing from Gwinnett government - to receive training from ICE.
Once trained, deputies would have access to
federal immigration
databases, enabling them to begin deportation proceedings
themselves. Conway has said he hopes the program will be
activated this year, pending federal approval.
ICE employees began a 26-day screening process at the jail Jan.
12 to evaluate how many criminal aliens might be deported.
Cherokee County in northwest Georgia is also seeking approval
for 287 (g), while Cobb County runs the program already.
Opponents say the program leads to racial profiling and the
tearing apart of immigrant families.
ABLE joins two more human-rights advocacy groups - Georgia
Detention Watch and Concerned Black Clergy of metro
Atlanta -
who have publicly voiced disapproval of Sheriff Conway's plans.
Willa Rose Johnson, ABLE spokesperson, said activist leaders are
hopeful for a face-to-face meeting with U.S. Rep. John Lewis
(D-GA) soon.
"We'll just keep praying that they stop this frenzy of
deportations," Johnson said.
Added ABLE president Rev. Timothy McDonald, the meeting's vocal
leader: "We're going to find a more humane and
compassionate way
to deal with those in the country illegally," he said. "We're
not sprinters ... we're marathon runners."
As temperatures climbed from the lower teens, the meeting closed
with a prayer. In Spanish.
January 21, 2009
Group Protests Immigration Officials Searching Jails
Fox 5
George Franco
Last Edited: Wednesday, 21 Jan 2009, 5:39 PM EST
A group protested outside the Atlanta Headquarters of Federal Immigration Officials on January 21, 2009 about ICE
A
nonprofit coalition called Georgia Detention Watch on Monday joined
a growing chorus of disapproval over a program to deport illegal
immigrants in the
Gwinnett
County jail.
Other organizations such as Atlantans Building Leadership for
Empowerment and the Concerned Black Clergy have also voiced
opposition to federal immigration officials’ 26-day “surge,” which
began Monday at the county detention center.
The surge is expected to help the U.S. Department of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) figure out how many inmates
would be
handed over from Gwinnett, should the county be allowed to
participate in a program that trains local jailers to begin
deportation paperwork.
Cobb, Whitfield and Hall counties are already participating in
similar cooperative agreements with ICE, as is the Georgia State
Patrol.
A
press release issued by Georgia Detention Watch said it “condemns in
the strongest terms this effort of expulsion of immigrants, many of
whom are hard-working members of our communities.” Georgia Detention
Watch bills itself as a coalition that includes activists, community
organizers, persons of faith and lawyers.
“We
believe local enforcement of federal immigration laws leads to
racial profiling as well as erosion of trust between immigrant
communities and the police, making our communities less safe,” the
press release said.
Last
year the Atlanta Field Office of ICE, which covers Georgia and the
Carolinas, conducted six similar surges in local jails.
They are
essentially periods of intensified scrutiny over inmates’
immigration status, according to its spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez.
Typically, federal immigration officials only screen foreign-born
inmates, but during the surge every inmate will be screened.
Gwinnett County
Sheriff Butch Conway said the program doesn’t violate human rights
or constitute racial profiling. He pointed out that
it targets
people who have been arrested for a crime.
Those who are here illegally are not immigrants, as this group
claims,” Conway said. “An immigrant is someone who has entered the
United States legally and has nothing to fear.”
Jail
officials estimate that about 60 percent of the 14,084 foreign
nationals that were booked into the Gwinnett jail in 2008 were here
illegally. Conway says his constituents have clearly communicated
they want Gwinnett to participate in the ICE program.
Louise Stewart, who lives in the Norcross area, is one of them.
“I
have absolutely nothing against immigrants if they come here and
obey the law the way they are supposed to,” Stewart said.
“I
know a lot of them are wonderful people. But I think when a person
sneaks into the country and they know they can get away with
breaking such a big law, they think maybe the other laws here aren’t
enforced either. So they break the law.”
December 25, 2008
(In Spanish and English-scroll down)
Mundo Hispanico
Mensaje navideño al alguacil de
Gwinnett Esta
semana Por
Pilar Verdés 12/25/2008
Unas
50 personas, entre feligreses, religiosos y activistas, llevaron
ofrendas navideñas al alguacil del condado de Gwinnett, R.L. ('Butch')
Conway, y le pidieron que no implemente el programa 287(g).
La organización
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE, por sus siglas en
inglés) convocó la actividad el martes
16 de diciembre en un esfuerzo
para evitar la puesta en marcha de esta medida que permite a las
autoridades carcelarias iniciar
el proceso de deportación de
indocumentados.
Pilar Verdés/MH
No a la
287(g). El pastor Carlos Alberto Gutierrez inauguró la ofrenda
con un discurso en español en el que pidió a las autoridades que
no separen a familias.
Carlos Alberto
Gutiérrez, del Centro Cristiano Monte Sinai, en Norcross, inauguró la
ofrenda con un
discurso frente a la entrada de la Oficina del Alguacil
de Gwinnett, en Lawrenceville.
"Necesitamos que no
se firme la 287(g) para que no sigan separando a más familias. Nosotros
necesitamos pasar una Feliz Navidad, Christmas, también con nuestras
familias", dijo Gutiérrez.
"No somos
delincuentes o terroristas, somos gentes trabajadoras que estamos
dispuestas a trabajar", continuó.
El pastor pidió al
alguacil que no arreste a los latinos por no contar con una licencia de
conducir.
"Les hacen pagar
975 dólares para salir de la cárcel y 450 dólares para recobrar el
vehículo. Por eso estamos
acá", indicó.
Por su
parte, Tracy Blagec, miembro del Grupo de Trabajo de Inmigración de
ABLE, leyó una misiva al alguacil
que tradujo simultáneamente al español
Beatriz Santeliz, de la iglesia Saint John Newmann.
"El acuerdo de la
287(g) no trae paz, sino trastornos y miedo a familias e individuos",
dice la carta que leyó
Blagec.
La activista
también mostró una tarjeta de Navidad de un menor de edad dirigida al
alguacil: "Feliz Navidad, Sr. alguacil, por favor mantenga
a nuestras
familias juntas". La firma son seis corazones.
Los participantes
entraron al edificio y pasaron por el detector de metales el árbol de
Navidad con docenas de tarjetas firmadas por
miembros de congregaciones
de ese condado.
A pesar de que
Conway no estuvo presente para recibir la ofrenda, la relacionista
pública de la Oficina del Alguacil de Gwinnett, Stacey Bourbonnais, lo
hizo en su nombre.
Al hacer la entrega,
Sandra Sammuels, de ABLE, dijo: "Nuestro deseo navideño es que no
implementen el programa 287(g)".
Los activistas,
feligreses y religiosos dejaron el árbol de Navidad de pino fresco y la
esperanza de que no se repita la experiencia
de Cobb en Gwinnett.
Mientras salían, entonaron la canción 'Feliz Navidad'.
"Yo creí que no
iban a recibir el árbol ni que íbamos a poder entregar la cesta", indicó
Gutiérrez, quien agregó: "Gracias a Dios
fue un triunfo porque sí lo
logramos".
El evento finalizó
con una oración masiva en la entrada de la Oficina del Alguacil.
"¡Fue
muy lindo! Esta fue una manifestación pasiva y están en su
derecho a venir y visitarnos", indicó Bourbonnais.
ABLE es una
organización religiosa multiracial que incluye sindicatos, iglesias y
organizaciones de base.
Esta
no es la primera visita de ABLE a esa entidad. A finales de septiembre,
ese grupo solicitó una reunión con el alguacil para
expresar
preocupación sobre la posible implementación del programa 287(g).
En esa ocasión los
activistas rezaron la llamada 'Oración del Extranjero'.
Christmas message to the
Sheriff of Gwinnett
This week
12/25/2008
By
Pilar Verdes
Some 50 people, including parishioners, clergy and activists, brought
Christmas offerings to the sheriff of Gwinnett County,
R.L. Butch
Conway, and asked him not to implement the 287(g) program.
The
organization ABLE (Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment)
organized the activity on Tuesday, the 16th of December,
in
an effort to prevent the implementation of the measure, which permits
jail authorities to begin the deportation process of
undocumented
people.
Carlos Alberto Gutierrez, of Mount Sinai Christian Center in Norcross,
began the gift delivery with a statement in front of the entrance
to the
Gwinnett Sheriff’s office, which is in Lawrenceville.
“We
need for the 287(g) agreement not to be signed so that they don’t
continue to separate families. We also need to have a
Merry Christmas
with our families,” said Gutierrez.
“We’re not delinquents or terrorists, we’re working people that are
willing to work,” he continued.
The
pastor asked the sheriff not to arrest Latinos simply for not having a
drivers’ license.
“They make them pay $975 to get out of jail and $450 to retrieve their
confiscated vehicle. That’s why we’re here,” he said.
Tracy Blagec, member of ABLE’s Immigration Taskforce, read a letter to
the sheriff that Beatriz Santeliz, of St. John Neumann
Catholic Church,
simultaneously translated into Spanish.
“The 287(g) agreement doesn’t bring peace, but disruption and fear to
families and individuals,” says the letter that Blagec read.
The
activist also showed a Christmas card to the sheriff from a child:
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Sheriff. Please keep our families together.”
It
is signed with six hearts.
The
participants entered the building and passed the Christmas tree through
the metal detector. The Christmas tree was decorated
with dozens of
cards signed by members of congregations of the county.
Although Conway was not present to receive the gift, the public
relations representative of the Gwinnett Sheriff’s office, Stacey
Bournonnais, received it in his name.
Upon delivering the gift, Sandra Samuels, of ABLE, said “Our Christmas
wish is that they do not implement 287(g).”
The
activists, parishioners and clergy left the live, pine Christmas tree
and the hope that the experience of Cobb county is not
repeated. While
leaving they sang the song “Feliz Navidad.”
“I
thought that they weren’t going to take the tree and that we wouldn’t be
able to deliver the gift basket,” said Gutierrez. He added,
“Thanks to
God it was a triumph because we were able to.”
The
event ended with a closing prayer in the entrance to the sheriff’s
office.
“It
was very nice! This was a passive demonstration and they are within
their rights to come and see us,” said Bourbonnais.
ABLE is a multiracial religious organization that includes unions,
congregations and grassroots groups.
This is not the first visit that ABLE has made to the sheriff’s
office. At the end of September, the group requested a meeting
with the
sheriff to express their concern about the possible implementation of
287(g).
On
that occasion, the activists prayed the “Foreigner’s prayer.”
December 22, 2008
Concerned Black Clergy protests plan for
illegal immigrants
Associated
Press (In Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Monday,
December 22, 2008
Concerned
Black Clergy is protesting an application by theGwinnett
County
Sheriff’s Department to deputize
members of the department to
implement portions of a federal immigration law.
The group of
primarily black ministers from predominantly black congregations in
metro Atlanta plans to hold a news
conference at 11 30 a.m. Monday at
Vicars Community Center.
Gwinnett
County
Sheriff Butch
Conway has applied for his department to receive training from the
federal Immigration
and Customs
Enforcement Agency. Once trained, deputies would have access to federal
immigration databases and
would be able
to begin deportation proceedings for illegal immigrants.
Concerned
Black Clergy says the program leads to racial profiling and disruption
of families.
Con una protesta pacífica y singular casi
dos docenas de activistas liderados por la organización religiosa
multirracial Atlantans Building
Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE por su sigla
en inglés) llegaron a la Oficina del Alguacil de Gwinnett el
martes 16 de diciembre con un cometido: convencer al alguacil
Butch Conway que no implemente el acuerdo 287 (g) que permitiría
las deportaciones desde ese recinto penitenciario.
Esta fue la segunda ocasión que el grupo buscó hablar con Conway
pero a diferencia de la primera visita – en octubre pasado– esta
vez sí lograron entrar a la cárcel y entregar su petición de una
manera diferente.
Así, la comitiva llevó hasta la oficina de Conway un árbol de
Navidad decorado con algunas de las mil tarjetas firmadas por
miembros de diferentes congregaciones religiosas y una canasta
de comestibles.
José Chávez Castillo, Sandra Samuels, Alicia
En el recinto fueron recibidos por Donald Pinkard, gerente
administrador de la cárcel y por
Escobar y Carlos Alberto Gutiérrez, decoran el
Stacey Bourbonnais portavoz del
departamento de Alguacil.
árbol de Navidad con
tarjetas de petición para
que Butch Conway, alguacil de Gwinnett, no
A pesar de que no pudieron hablar con Conway, algunos de los
religiosos catalogaron la
implemente el acuerdo con inmigración 287(g).
recepción de sus regalos como un “triunfo”.
Fotos: Judith Martínez/AL
Autoridades de la cárcel de Gwinnett
reciben el
“Teníamos el sueño de que recibiera el árbol porque es un signo
importante en estas
fechas
árbol de Navidad en el recinto.
y que él sepa que somos gente de paz.
Teníamos la ilusión de que él saliera, pero no se cumplió”, dijo
Carlos Alberto Gutiérrez, pastor del Centro Cristiano Monte
Sinaí en Norcross.
Asimismo agregó que “es un triunfo que hayan
dejado pasar el árbol a este tipo de oficinas gubernamentales y
ese ya es un paso muy grande”.
Para Ana García Ashley de la fundación Gamaliel y ABLE el solo
recibimiento fue excelente.
“Fue excelente que nos recibieran porque pudimos dejar un
mensaje muy vivo en su corazón y esperamos que lo lea y no
implemente el acuerdo”, dijo.
Por su parte José Chávez Castillo, pastor del Centro Cristiano
Monte Sinaí, afirmó que espera que el mensaje llegue directo al
corazón de Conway.
“Esperamos que le quede el mensaje de que hay una comunidad
preocupada que se afectará no solo a las familias sino a la
economía del condado como pasó en Cobb y que Jesucristo también
fue inmigrante”, dijo.
La recepción de las autoridades del recinto también fue
sorpresiva para la reverenda Tracy Blagec quien también acudió a
la primera visita en octubre.
“No sabíamos si nos iban a dejar entrar con el árbol pero se
portaron muy amables y creo que
la presencia de los medios de
comunicación hizo una gran diferencia”, afirmó.
Blagec declaró que el siguiente paso es buscar reuniones con la
Junta de Comisionados del condado y advirtió que el programa es
costoso y tal vez no se pueda sostener, asimismo agregó que
intentarán concienciar a las autoridades de las consecuencias
económicas que tendría la implementación del acuerdo no solo
para los negocios hispanos sino para todo el condado en general.
¿QUÉ DIJO EL SHERIFF?
Juan Carlos Martínez traslada el
árbol hasta el segundo piso de la cárcel, Carlos Alberto Gutiérrez
Stacey Bourbonnais, portavoz del departamento de Alguacil, dijo
no estar sorprendida de la
lo sigue para entregar al alguacil la canasta de
visita y afirmó que esta fue la
primera manifestación en contra del acuerdo 287 (g).
alimentos.
“Nadie se ha manifestado en contra, todos los ciudadanos de
Gwinnett –de los que hemos escuchado– están a favor de la medida,
este
es el primer grupo que se opone”, dijo.
Bourbonnais afirmó que aún no tienen aprobación de ICE y que el
primer entrenamiento de oficiales se podría iniciar en marzo.
Confirmó
que sí hay presupuesto para la implantación del mismo.
“Los comisionados ya lo consideraron en el presupuesto del año
pasado”, acotó.
Ante la pregunta de la aplicación de perfil racial –como sucedió
en el condado de Cobb– la portavoz afirmó “no vamos a buscar a
latinos
como target, a menos que lleguen a esta cárcel no
saldrán en nuestros radares. El primer paso es ser arrestado y
luego se revisaría el
estatus migratorio, si no cometes crimen
no nos fijaremos en ti”, concluyó.
Al cierre de esta edición Bourbonnais no había comunicado las
impresiones del alguacil Conway tras recibir el árbol con las
peticiones.
LAS PETICIONES
Las mil tarjetas que recibió el alguacil Butch Conway, decían en
inglés...“ Estimado alguacil Conway: esperamos que esté
disfrutando la Navidad con su familia...en estos momentos que
celebramos que Jesús fue inmigrante, le pedimos que reconsidere
la implementación del acuerdo 287 (g)... usted no me ha
preguntado pero yo no estoy a favor de la medida”.
SOBRE LA 287 (g)
El comité del condado acordó destinar los fondos necesarios para
que Butch Conway, alguacil del Condado de Gwinnett, establezca
el acuerdo 287(g), con los Servicios de Inmigración y Control de
Aduanas (ICE, por su sigla en inglés), para que su personal
revise el estatus migratorio de los detenidos en las cárceles y
deporte a aquellos que son indocumentados.
Asimismo se aprobó el presupuesto para la contratación de 18
oficiales que recibirían el entrenamiento por parte de ICE para
hacer efectivo dicho programa. La contratación y entrenamiento
de los agentes costaría 1.2 millones de dólares y la
implementación del programa, 2.1 millones adicionales.
Conway no podrá iniciar la contratación de personal hasta que no
cuente con 12 vacantes y el condado haya recibido el aval para
formar
parte del programa 287(g).
RETRASAN DEPORTACIONES
“Debido a la gran demanda de información para saber si el
programa 287 (g) se iniciaría en octubre, quiero informar el
estatus del proceso hasta el momento. Aún estamos esperando la
aprobación de ICE. Sin su aprobación del programa, no podemos
implementarlo”, parte del comunicado de prensa enviado a la
redacción de este medio en octubre del 2008 por la Oficina de
Alguacilde Gwinnett.
December 18, 2008
Atlanta Latino
Effort to
stop deportations in Gwinnett By Judith Judith
Martinez
judith@atlantalatino.com
12/18/2008
Group reminds sheriff that Jesus was
an immigrant
With a peaceful and unique protest, almost two dozen
activists, led by the multiracial, faith based organization ABLE
(Atlantans
Building Leadership for Empowerment), arrived at the Gwinnett county
Sheriff’s headquarters on Tuesday,
December 16th with one
objective: to convince Sheriff Butch Conway not to implement the 287(g)
agreement, which would
allow deportations from that penitentiary.
This was the second occasion that the group sought to speak with the
sheriff but, in contrast to the first visit-- which was in October--
this time they were able to enter the sheriff’s office and make their
request in a different way.
The group brought a
Christmas tree decorated with some of the thousand Christmas cards
signed by members of various religious congregations to Conway’s office,
along with a holiday gift basket.
On the premises they were received by Donald Pinkard, administrative
manager of the jail, and by Stacey Bourbonnais,
spokesperson of the
sheriff’s department.
In spite of the fact that they were unable to speak with Conway, some of
the clergy counted the fact that the office received their
gifts as a
“triumph.”
“We hoped that he would receive the tree because it is an important sign
of this season, and so that he would know that we are
people of peace.
We hoped that he would come out, but that did not happen,” said Carlos
Alberto Gutierrez, pastor of Mount Sinai
Christian Center in Norcross.
He added that “it is a triumph that they let the tree into this type of
governmental office and that alone
is a big step.”
For Ana Garcia
Ashley of the Gamaliel Foundation and ABLE, the mere receiving of the
gift was excellent. “It was excellent that
they received us because we
were able to leave a very vivid message in their hearts and we hope that
they read it and don’t
implement the agreement,” she said.
Jose Castillo Chavez, pastor of Mount Sinai Christian Center, affirmed
that he hopes that the message goes straight to
Conway’s heart.
“We hope that the message gets through that there is a community
concerned that the agreement would affect not only families
but the
county’s economy- as has happened in Cobb- and that Jesus Christ was
also an immigrant,” he said.
The way the authorities of the premises received the gift was also
surprising for Reverend Tracy Blagec, who also participated
in the
October visit.
“We didn’t know if they would let us in with the tree but they were very
friendly, and I think the presence of the media made a big difference,”
she said.
Blagec said that the next step is to meet with the Board of
Commissioners and noted that the program is expensive and could
possibly
not be sustained. She added that they would also try to make the
authorities aware of the economic consequences that
the implementation
of the program would have, not only for Hispanic business but for the
whole county in general.
What did the sheriff say?
Stacey Bourbonnais,
spokesperson for the Sheriff’s department, said that she was not
surprised by the visit and stated that
this was the first demonstration
against 287(g).
“No one has demonstrated against, all the citizens of Gwinnett-- those
that we’ve heard--are in favor of the measure. This is
the first group
opposed to it,” she said.
Bourbonnais affirmed that they still don’t have ICE’s approval and that
the first officers’ training could begin in March. She
confirmed that
there is budget for the implementation of the program. “The
commissioners already considered it in the budget
last year,” she noted.
Faced with the question of racial profiling, as has happened in Cobb,
the spokesperson affirmed that “We’re not going to look for Latinos as a
target, unless they come to the jail they will not cross our radar. The
first step is to be arrested and then immigration
status will be
reviewed. If you don’t commit a crime we will not focus on you,” she
concluded.
At the close of this edition, Bourbonnais had not relayed Sheriff
Conway’s impressions upon receiving the tree and the requests.
The petitions
The thousand cards that the sheriff received said in
English…”Dear Sheriff Conway, We hope that your family is enjoying
the
Christmas season together. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was
an immigrant himself, we urge you to help other
families enjoy future
holidays together by reconsidering the implementation of 287(g)... You
didn’t ask me. I’m not for 287(g).”
About 287(g)
The county commission agreed to dedicate the necessary funds
for Butch Conway, sheriff of Gwinnett County, to establish the
287(g)
agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. This
agreement would permit the sheriff department’s
staff to review the
immigration status of those detained in jails and to deport those
without documents.
The commission approved the budget for 18 officers that would receive
training from ICE, which is necessary to enact the
program.
Contracting and training the officers would cost $1.2 million and the
implementation would cost an additional $2.1 million.
Conway will not be able to begin contracting staff until he has 12
vacancies and the county has been approved to participate in the
287(g)
program. Delay in deportations:
“Due to the large demand for information in order to know if
the 287(g) program will begin in October, I want to report the status
of
the process at the moment. We are still awaiting approval from ICE.
Without their approval of the program, we cannot implement
it,” Part of
the press release sent by the Gwinnett sheriff’s office to the editor of
this publication in October 2008.
December 17, 2008
(In Spanish and English)
Staff Photo: Jason Braverman
Sandra Samuels, with ABLE (Atlantans
Building Leadership for
Empowerment), decorates a
Christmas tree Tuesday morning
outside the Sheriff’s
Department. The tree, along with
a gift basket and cards, was
given to a representative to
give to Sheriff Butch Conway as
a “Christmas blessing of peace
and good.” The group is not
happy that Conway supports the
287(g) agreement.
LAWRENCEVILLE - Nativity cards and glad tidings
make for a pretty docile protest, but that was
basically the point.
A couple dozen members of ABLE, or Atlantans
Building Leadership for Empowerment, brought
Christmas cheer by the bag-load to the Gwinnett
County Jail on Tuesday morning, along with
pointed criticism of Sheriff Butch Conway's
stance on immigration.
The group opposes the federal Immigrations and
Customs Enforcement 287(g) program, which would
train deputies to strain illegal immigrants from
the regular inmate population at the jail and
begin deportation paperwork.
They fear that 287(g) will spawn civil rights
abuses and racial profiling on the part of local
deputies tasked with sniffing out illegals.
Gwinnett government heads and Conway support the
program and hope to activate it in coming
months.
The ABLE leaders gathered to hold a quiet prayer
vigil and deliver 1,000 signed Nativity cards -
each lamenting the 287(g) program - along with a
real pine tree to Conway's office. Above all,
they wanted to wish the sheriff a very Merry
Christmas.
"(We) will remind him that Jesus was an
immigrant," said the Rev. Tracy Blagec of
Atlanta.
Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Stacey
Bourbonnais said recently her agency is awaiting
approval from federal officials before moving
forward with 287(g) training.
The next available ICE classes to train local
deputies start early next year, Bourbonnais
said.
In April, the Board of Commissioners promised
Conway up to 18 additional deputies - at a cost
of $1.2 million - and $2.1 million in funding
for the program.
By Jonathan Springston, Senior Staff Writer, (December 17, 2008)
(APN) ATLANTA – About 40 activists representing numerous local, state,
and national organizations gathered Thursday, December 18, 2008, at
Grady Memorial Hospital to express opposition to a proposal they said
could leave thousands of uninsured citizens without a safety net.
Atlanta Progressive News broke the news Monday at our blog, that
Grady was considering the cuts.
"We have heard of Draconian cuts at Grady," State Sen. Vincent Fort
(D-District 39) said Thursday, adding that the proposal amounts to "an
outrage before God."
Grady officials declined comment through spokesperson Denise Simpson.
"Admin [sic] says they won't discuss any proposed changes in the
Grady Card eligibility guidelines until a final proposal has been
developed and presented to the board," Simpson told APN in an e-mail.
"The board is scheduled to hear and discuss any potenetail [sic] changes
on Jan 5 at its regular meeting."
Grady CFO Michael Ayres made a presentation to five members of the
Grady Coalition, a group that advocates for Grady patients and workers,
on December 12, 2008, that Ayres plans to take to the Grady Memorial
Hospital Corporation (GMHC) on January 05, 2009, for a possible vote.
The proposal, which Ayres called "a series of recommendations by
management," calls for the Grady Health System to require Fulton and
DeKalb County patients who earn between 126 and 200 percent of the
federal poverty guidelines to pay for 40 percent of their care, up to
25% of their annual income.
Those outside of Fulton and Dekalb in this income bracket would pay
for 70% of their care, up to 25% of their annual income; presumably this
reflects the fact that other counties do not financially support Grady.
An individual earning $13,000 per year or less (125 percent or less
of the federal poverty guidelines) would still receive free care if they
are from Dekalb or Fulton.
Under current rules, all Fulton and Dekalb patients earning less than
250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or $26,000 per year,
receive free care at Grady. Those from outside these counties currently
pay 30%.
Overall, the changes would effect working families without health
insurance who make more than near-poverty wages.
"We will not stand silent while low income people are pushed to the
curb... because they are not poor enough," State Sen. Nan Orrock
(D-District 36) said. "There’s a better way."
"This is awful – to balance Grady’s budget on the backs of people who
are least able to pay," Larry Soublet, Vice President of fundraising for
Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), said.
Soublet called on the Georgia General Assembly to pass legislation
that would require other Metro Atlanta counties to pay money to Grady
and require Georgia to kick in annual dollars to the system.
There are currently about 250,000 patients receiving some kind of
discount at Grady, Ayres told the Grady Coalition, according to members
who attended the meeting.
The system delivers more than 40 percent of indigent care in Georgia
through the Indigent Care Trust Fund. However, Grady receives only about
30 percent of the $400 million paid by the State every year because of a
30 percent "cap" rule.
The proposal appears to be out of line with the stated mission
outlined in the lease and transfer agreement between the Fulton-DeKalb
Hospital Authority (FDHA) and the GMHC, according to APN’s analysis of
the documents.
"Lessee [GMHC] will (i) irrevocably, absolutely, and unconditionally
provide indigent care and charity care in accordance with the provisions
of the Operating Agreements and (ii) operate the Hospital as a Safety
Net Hospital," the lease states.
"Where’s the compassion?" State Representative-elect Ralph Long III
(D-District 61), asked. "It’s disheartening."
"This community was made promises…that Grady was going to uphold its
historic mission to serve as a safety net hospital," Orrock said.
When the FDHA was considering the GMHC lease in December 2007, FDHA
Vice Chair Christopher Edwards said, "The historic mission of the
hospital – changing that is a deal breaker. That is not an option. We
envision those services will continue to be provided," APN reported.
But both GMHC chairman Pete Correll and Grady CEO Michael Young both
indicated over the last year that a change like this could happen.
Long before Correll took the GMHC helm, he gave a November 2007
interview to The Los Angeles Times during which he said while any Board
"would be hesitant to cut services in order to survive," it had to
confront the question "How do we decide what is a reasonable level of
health?"
As reported previously by APN, Young said in September 2008 that
other large, Metro Atlanta hospitals like Piedmont and Northside need to
help Grady carry the indigent care burden.
"We’re going to need some help from the rest of the medical community
in the 14 county area - which isn’t to say we’re not going to do more
than our fair share - but we can’t be the sole answer for every county
in western Georgia… in the current financial model that’s not survivable
for us," he said on September 05, 2008.
Fort said Thursday "the honeymoon with Mr. Young is over."
Joe Beasley, the Southeast Regional Director of the Rainbow/PUSH
Coalition, called Young and Correll "liars."
"[Young] has shown where his heart is and it’s not with the people,"
Beasley said.
"We know those folks on the [GMHC] are not committed to poor folk,"
John Evans, former president of the DeKalb County National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People and current president of Operation
LEAD, said.
Their unwillingness to speak on the matter leaves several blanks. For
example, how many people are going to be affected by the change? Is it
dozens, hundreds, or thousands?
The Grady Coalition believes thousands will be affected. "People
being denied access to health care will ultimately, here in Fulton,
result in people dying," Fort said.
Why is management calling for these changes and who is making the
call for the changes? Is it Fulton and DeKalb commissioners, the
business community, or some other party?
Ayres told the Grady Coalition on December 12 that Fulton and DeKalb
wanted to know if certain patients are receiving "inappropriate" free
care.
As part of the proposal, Ayres told the Grady Coalition that the
system wants to also develop a program that would require patients to
prove their eligibility before they receive a Grady Card.
This includes providing proof a patient applied and was denied
Medicaid, proof of a patient’s “financial eligibility score,” and proof
of financial assets, all of which are not currently required.
Overall, Ayres told the Grady Coalition that urgent and emergency
services will be covered. But "non-emergency" services will be provided
"at the hospital’s discretion."
Ayres did not define “non-emergency” and did not elaborate about whom
would be in charge of defining that term, the Grady Coalition said.
Did officials ever consider holding a public meeting on the issue to
at least inform citizens of the changes before January 5?
The Grady Coalition indicated Thursday they might hold their own town
hall meeting before January 5.
What about the FDHA? Are those members going to be consulted before a
vote?
“The Lessee shall not cease providing indigent care…and emergency
services…without the consent of the Authority,” the lease between FDHA
and GMHC states. The lease does not specify what “consent” means.
The lease agreement between FDHA and GMHC was modified before it was
approved, where it had previously given thee FDHA veto power. This is no
longer specified.
Will management simply send out an email to each member or will
officials have to make a meaningful presentation to the FDHA for debate
and discussion?
Simpson told APN that the FDHA will not have to approve the changes
and that she did not know what consultation would consist of, adding
that the GMHC contains several FDHA Board Members.
Grady officials issued a statement Thursday after the rally, calling
the Grady Coalition’s statements about the proposal "inaccurate."
"Grady does not and will not deny care to low-income patients in
need, and we will continue to assess each patient’s financial
contribution for that care on a case-by-case basis," a statement
obtained by APN said. "We do, however, believe that individuals who have
some ability to pay should pay something for the services they receive."
"We are disappointed the coalition has decided not to work with us,"
the statement added. "But Grady Health System remains committed to
finding solutions that are not only consistent with our mission, but
also are focused on our long term stability."
In an interview with APN, Simpson said the "inaccurate" statement
made by the Grady Coalition referred to is that Fulton and Dekalb
patients in the 125-200% bracket would have to pay 40% of their income,
when in fact it is 40% of the bill up to 25% of their income.
Varios líderes religiosos acudieron
a la Oficina del Alguacil de Gwinnett el pasado
jueves 25 para expresar
preocupación sobre la posible implementación del programa
287(g), que
permite iniciar el proceso de deportación de indocumentados desde la
cárcel.
El alguacil Butch Conway, sin
embargo, se negó a reunirse con miembros de la
organización Atlantans
Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE).
El vicario Armando Herrejón, de la
iglesia católica de St. John Neumann, en Lilburn, dijo a MundoHispánico
que desde hace unos seis meses han escuchado de muchos casos de
personas encarceladas y deportadas en ese condado, lo que ha generado mucho temor
entre los feligreses.
"Es algo muy doloroso para la
comunidad", dijo Herrejón.
Después de agarrarse de las manos y
rezar la llamada 'Oración del Extranjero', los aproximadamente 20
religiosos y activistas
se movilizaron a la sede del Departamento de la
Policía de Gwinnett para también exigir una reunión con su jefe, Charles
M. Walters,
con el mismo objetivo. Pero tampoco tuvieron éxito.
La relacionista pública de la
policía de ese condado, Illana Spellman, explicó que el acuerdo 287(g)
no es implementado por
la policía de Gwinnett. En caso de ser aprobado,
sería ejecutado por la Oficina del Alguacil.
"Queremos conversar sobre cómo los
latinos están siendo victimas de perfil racial y son juzgados por su
color," recalcó
el reverendo Gregorio Williams.
"Nosotros no toleramos el perfil
racial", repitió –por su parte– en varias oportunidades Spellman.
Por su lado, el pastor Carlos A.
Gutiérrez, de la iglesia Monte Sinai, en Norcross, mencionó que en una
oportunidad vio un
vehículo de la policía estacionado frente a la puerta
de la iglesia esperando a que salieran los feligreses del servicio del
domingo.
"No había nadie más en esa zona,
todo estaba cerrado", aseguró Gutiérrez.
"Si saben de algún problema con la
conducta de un funcionario de la policía necesitan reportarlo lo más
pronto posible.
En ese momento se le puede pedir al supervisor que haga
acto de presencia donde hay el problema. Es obligatorio que lo haga",
recalcó Spellman.
Miembros de ABLE –una organización
religiosa multiracial que incluye sindicatos, iglesias y organizaciones de base– planean
acudir a la Junta de Comisionados de Gwinnett para
plantear sus preocupaciones sobre el 287(g).
287(g) en Gwinnett: no en 2008
La Oficina del Alguacil del condado
de Gwinnett todavía está esperando que las autoridades federales tomen la decisión de
aprobar o no el programa 287(g), según funcionarios de
esa entidad. Un representante del Servicio de
Inmigración y Aduanas
(ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) dijo a
MundoHispánico que Gwinnett solicitó participar en el programa pero que
hasta el momento
las autoridades federales no han firmado el acuerdo.
Si aprueban el programa, los oficiales
designados tendrán que recibir un entrenamiento, que se calcula tomaría
cinco semanas. Sin embargo, no hay clases disponibles para entrenar a
los oficiales hasta principios del próximo
año. Por ello, de aprobar ICE
la solicitud, la Oficina del Alguacil de Gwinnett no podrá implementar
el programa
Clergy Request Meeting with Sheriff of Gwinnett
10-2-08
Several religious leaders visited the Gwinnett Sheriff's office this
past Thursday, September 25th, to express their
concern about the
possible implementation of the 287(g) program, which would permit the
initiation of the deportation
process of undocumented individuals from
jails.
Sheriff Butch Conway, however, refused to meet with members of the
organization Atlantans Building Leadership
for Empowerment (ABLE).
Priest Armando Herrejon, from St. John Neumann Catholic Church in
Lilburn, told Mundo Hispanico that since
six months ago he has heard of
several cases of people being jailed and deported in his county, which
is causing a
great deal of fear among his parishioners.
"It's very painful for the community," Herrejon said.
After joining hands and praying the "Foreigners' Prayer," the
approximately 20 clergy and activists moved on to the
office of the
Police Department of Gwinnett to again request a meeting with the Police
Chief, Charles M. Walters,
with the same objective. They did not have
success there either.
The Public Information Officer for the Gwinnett County Police
Department, Illana Spellman, explained that the
287(g) agreement is not
implemented by the police of Gwinnett. If it is approved, it would be
executed by the office
of the Sheriff.
"We want to discuss how Latinos are being victims of racial profiling
and are being judged for the color of their skin,"
said Rev. Gregory
Williams.
"We do not tolerate racial profiling," Corp. Spellman repeated several
times.
Pastor Carlos A. Gutierrez from Monte Sinai Church in Norcross
mentioned that on one occasion, he saw a police
vehicle parked in front
of the church's door waiting for the parishioners to come out of the
Sunday service.
"There was no one else in the area. Everything was closed," Gutierrez
affirmed.
"If you all know of any problem with the conduct of a Gwinnett officer,
you need to report it as soon as possible.
In that moment the
supervisor of the officer will be asked to come to the site of the
problem. It is obligatory that
they come to the site," assured Spellman.
Members of ABLE- a multi-racial faith based organization that includes
unions, churches and grassroots
organizations- plan to take the matter
to the Board of Commissioners of Gwinnett County in order to bring
up
their concern with 287(g).
287(g) en Gwinnett: not in 2008
The Gwinnett Sheriff's office is still waiting for a decision from
federal authorities as to whether 287(g) will be
approved for their
county, according to staff of that office.
An ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) representative told Mundo
Hispanico that Gwinnett applied to
participate in the program but as of
yet federal authorities have not signed the agreement.
If they approve the program, designated officers will have to be
trained, which would take 5 weeks.
However, these training classes are
not available until the beginning of next year. Thus, if ICE approves
the Gwinnett Sheriff office's application, the county will not be able
to implement the program until next year.
ABLE is a
multi-racial, interfaith regional coalition of congregations, unions and
grassroots organizations that develops
and empowers ordinary
people to become leaders who effect change in their communities for the
common good of all.
POSTED:
3:22 pm EDT April 7, 2010
convencidos
protestantes pacíficos. La constitución nos 
(Pilar Verdes/ MH)