New Gwinnett Co. Sheriff ends jail s participation in 287(g) immigration program on first day in office
Taylor also announced the official ending of the office s Rapid Response Team, which was in charge of responding to incidents inside the jail. Author: Paola Suro (WXIA) Updated: 7:11 PM EST January 1, 2021
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. Gwinnett County s new sheriff, Keybo Taylor, announced on his first day in office, that he ended the jail s participation in the 287(g) program. That s a promise he made throughout his campaign.
The program was implemented back in 2009 by now-former Sheriff Butch Conway. It s a partnership with the federal Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows deputies to screen people coming into jail to figure out their legal status. If they re in the country illegally, the inmate could eventually be deported by immigration authorities.
Gwinnett Countyâs new sheriff made good on a promise he made months ago and formally announced on Friday that his office is opting out of the controversial 287(g) program and disbanding its Rapid Response Team in the countyâs jail.
Sheriff Keybo Taylor made the move to end the departmentâs participation in the 287(g) program and disband the response team on his first day in office.
âGwinnett County, you spoke and I listened,â Taylor said. âWeâre replacing these programs with a couple of initiatives that will address some problems that concerns our community.â
The initiatives that Taylor said will be rolled out are new programs aimed at tackling gang and human trafficking issues in Gwinnett County.
Keybo Taylor, Gwinnett County s new sheriff, has ended the county jail s 287(g) program on his first day on the job, according to a report from CBS46.
The program, which was implemented in 2009 in the county, allows deputies who were trained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to interview people that have been arrested who were not born in the United States, according to the report from CBS46. The deputies were then allowed to determine if the person was in the country legally.
According to a document on the Gwinnett County Sheriff s Office website, the daily jail population began decreasing after the program was implemented. ICE also covers the cost of training, as well as travel, housing, meals and administrative supplies during training, according to the document.