New sheriffs to end immigration enforcement program in Cobb, Gwinnett
By Jeremy Redmon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution I 6 Nov 2020
Biden pledges to ‘aggressively limit the use of 287(g)’
Two newly elected Democratic sheriffs confirmed this week they will make good on their campaign promises and stop the Cobb and Gwinnett county jails from participating in a controversial immigration enforcement program.
That would leave the 287(g) program — named after the section of the federal law that authorizes it — operating in several other Georgia counties, none of which are in the Atlanta metro area, as well as in the state prison system, according to federal records.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden, who appears headed toward victory in the presidential election, has pledged to “aggressively limit the use of 287(g) and similar programs that force local law enforcement to take on the role of immigration enforcement.”
In contrast, President Donald Trump has pushed for an expansion of the program. Since he issued an executive order to that effect in 2017, the number of 287(g) programs operating across America has grown from 42 to 141 in 25 states.