Published: June 11, 2008 12:12 am

287(g) now operational

By Kim Sloan

After a three month wait, the 287(g) program is now up and running at the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office.

A woman charged for failure to appear on a charge of driving with a suspended license was found to be an illegal alien after she was processed through the system, Sheriff Scott Chitwood said on Tuesday. The woman was not identified by the sheriff’s office. She will be turned over to officials with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A representative from ICE was at the sheriff’s office Tuesday afternoon completing the installation of the equipment needed for the program. The program, known as 287(g) for the section where it is found in federal law, will not cost the county any money and is funded entirely by the federal government, Chitwood said.

“We have been on their time schedule,â€