April 2, 2010
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Department of Homeland Security Report
Slams Failed 287(g) Program
GLAHR calls for immediate termination of all 287(g) contracts in Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Atlanta) The Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report today that provides a damning critique of the controversial 287(g) program. The report affirms criticisms made publicly against the program by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) as well as community leaders, law enforcement officials, and immigration groups nationwide.[1] In response to these clear statements of failure of the program, GLAHR has called upon ICE and the county commissioners of Hall, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Whitfield Counties to terminate the contracts immediately.
According to the report, under the 287(g) program, some of the things ICE has failed to do include: 1) providing adequate 287(g) program oversight, 2) establishing a thorough review and selection process for law enforcement agencies requesting to participate in the program, 3) establishing data collection and reporting requirements to address civil rights and civil liberties concerns, and 4) providing accurate and honest program information to Congress and the public.
“Here in Georgia, we have seen firsthand the failures of this program,” said Adelina Nicholls, Executive Director of GLAHR. The contracts have not proven to make anyone safer, and have only managed to encourage rampant racial profiling and increased violations of the rights of immigrants and non-immigrants alike. We hope this report, which was not conducted by an advocacy or activist organization, but by the agency’s own internal audit system, will finally show Georgia’s elected officials that 287(g) has no place in our state.”
GLAHR contends that the fact that the 287(g) program is an acknowledged failure and it has not yet been ended raises serious doubts about the current administration's willingness to reform immigration law.
“The fact that the federal government allocates 68 million dollars for the failed 287(g) program is emblematic of the broken immigration system we are currently living with," Nicholls said.
“The fact that the Georgia legislature is actually entertaining a bill to spend additional tax-payer’s hard-earned money from state coffers as “incentives” to counties who hold these contracts, is an embarrassment to our state. Our state and national elected officials need to stop passing the buck and work their hardest to achieve real immigration reform this year and dismantle the 287(g) program and others like it.”
GLAHR says that in the meantime, the counties that hold currently 287(g) contracts should do the right thing and severe the contracts.
“The commissioners of Cobb, Gwinnett, Hall, and Whitfield counties have an obligation to sever the contracts and stop the further abuse of power by law enforcement in their jurisdiction,” says Xochitl Bervera, Communications Director with GLAHR. “We receive dozens of phone calls daily from hard working people in Gwinnett and Cobb County who are experiencing a level of police harassment and repression that is simply outrageous in the United States of America. 287(g) is a failure and will be dismantled. Georgia’s counties would be wise to get ahead of the curve and severe the contracts now.”
The full report can be found at: www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_10-63_Mar10.pdf
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(1) to the President calling for its complete termination. The letter can be found at: http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/node/2458
