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COBB |
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SHERIFF
SIGNS MOU WTH ICE Today Sheriff Neil Warren entered
into a Memorandum of Understanding with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) to begin enforcement of immigration statutes pursuant to Section 287(g)
of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Specifically, Sheriff’s deputies will be trained and empowered to
perform immigration related duties within the Cobb County Jail Facilities. The Cobb County Sheriff's Office is one of
a handful of agencies nationwide, and the first in the State of Pursuant to the terms of the MOU,
ICE will provide selected deputy sheriff’s with the training and resources
necessary to determine whether foreign nationals coming into custody at the
detention facilities are in the Country illegally. Upon making a determination that the
arrestee is a removable alien, Sheriff’s deputies, under the supervision of
an ICE agent, will initiate paperwork to begin the deportation process. Such arrestees must complete any local
charges prior to ICE assuming custody for actual deportation. Sheriff Warren stated that
participation in the Section 287(g) program is the next step in a partnership
with ICE that began some eight years ago with a pilot project to identify
illegal aliens in jail custody. The
primary advantages of the new program will be specific training of deputies
in immigration law, direct access to ICE data resources and the ability to
quickly identify illegal aliens and begin the deportation process. Sheriff Warren reiterated that the
focus of the Section 287(g) program is to identify and deport illegal aliens
already in custody for committing a crime.
“If someone is here illegally and commits a crime, whether a
misdemeanor or felony, they need to serve their sentence and be
deported. This program will be useful
tool in accomplishing that goal.” |
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RELEASE
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