Guilford County Sheriff's Office drops 287(g)

Barnes

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office holds a unique position among nine agencies that have been signed on to the controversial 287(g) federal immigration enforcement program this year: Only eight people have been deported through the program since Jan. 1.

In comparison, neighboring Alamance County has deported 293. The state’s two most populous counties, Mecklenburg and Wake, has respectively deported 2,037 and 1,703. Durham has deported 44. Only Fayetteville County has notched a lower number: seven. Guilford is differentiated from Mecklenburg, Wake and Alamance counties in that it has utilized a limited task force model of the 287(g) program instead of the more sweeping detention model. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office does not participate in the federal partnership.

“We feel, quite frankly, that the [Guilford County] Sheriff’s Department has shown great restraint and does not appear to be aggressively engaged in any activities that can be described as abusive,” said the Rev. Mark Sills, a Greensboro nonprofit executive who engaged in a terse public dialogue with Sheriff BJ Barnes when the law enforcement agency was preparing to implement the program in the spring of 2009. “But mostly because of the surrounding counties and how the enforcement programs have been implemented there, the immigrant community is still very leery of how law enforcement interacts with immigrants.”

Ironically, deportations prompted by local arrests could be on the cusp of an increase in Guilford County, as the sheriff’s office drops the controversial — and voluntary — 287(g) program, and adopts the federally-mandated Secure Communities program.

Barnes confirmed that the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office withdrew its 287(g) agreement in November.
Under 287(g), Barnes said two of his deputies received training and certification from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. They were able to access a federal database and file immigration charges against people found to have illegally entered the country or overstayed visas. Barnes said his federally certified deputies had focused on “criminal homicide suspects, rape suspects and major drug suspects.”

With the transition, the two deputies will remain engaged in investigating serious felonies, but will relinquish their immigration enforcement responsibilities to ICE. Now, information about all persons processed into the Guilford County Jail is run through national database that automatically alerts federal immigration officials when someone is identified as being in the country illegally. The feds then have the option to placing a detainer on the inmate and initiating deportation proceedings.

Barnes said his agency was one of 20 that was enrolled in the Secure Communities program last month. The feds plan to extend the program nationwide by 2013. Barnes confirmed that Secure Communities is likely to cast a wider net than 287(g) under the limited task force model utilized by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.

“You’ll see the numbers go up here with Secure Communities,” he said.

Civil rights museum says no to immigration documentary

The International Civil Rights Center and Museum turns down a request by FaithAction and the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement Initiative to screen a documentary film about 287(g), a controversial immigration enforcement program that has been popular with some local law enforcement agencies over the past three years and that has been criticized as promoting racial profiling.

An unidentified staffer at Faith Action states three reasons the proposal didn't fly:

1. They don't want to work too closely with the Spirit of the Sit-In-Movement and confuse the public's understanding of the difference between their organizations.


2. 287g in Guilford County — they believe that this issue is too politically controversial at the local level for an organization as "young" as theirs who is concerned with the community reputation. Also, a county commissioner is on their board.


3. They aren't confident that it will ultimately make them any money. (If they knew that 10 people would join the museum because of this event, if we would pay rent for using the space, or if people would pay admission, they might do it.)

A writer for Greensboro Independent Media Center smells a whiff of hypocrisy, noting that the request was turned down despite that "one of the center's explicit aims is to engage in educational work around modern day issues related to civil rights and social justice."

287(g) resolution on hold

This just in from the Rev. Mark Sills of FaithAction International:

We've been informed by City Hall that the Greensboro City Council will NOT consider the Human Relation Commission's resolution against police involvement in enforcement of federal immigration laws at their meeting next week, nor will they consider it at the June 16th meeting as originally announced.

Greensboro council to vote on 287(g) resolution

A mass e-mail from the Rev. Mark Sills, executive director of FaithAction International, indicates a resolution opposing immigration enforcement agreements between the federal government and local agencies for purposes other than deporting the most serious criminals will be considered by the Greensboro City Council on June 2.

RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS by LOCAL POLICE and SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES

Will be presented to and voted on by CITY COUNCIL at their meeting on JUNE 2 at 5:30 pm

Please note: We had anticipated this vote on June 16th, but just this afternoon we learned that it has been moved up to June 2nd. It is imperative that we have a really strong turn out in support of this resolution. If word gets out, there will certainly be strong opposition.
 
The Greensboro Human Relations Commission will be presenting the RESOLUTION on JUNE 2 in the City Council Chambers, 2nd floor, downtown, Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St. at 5:30 PM.

Background here.