Thread: GA-Senate approves incentives for federal crackdown

Senate approves incentives for federal crackdown




March 24, 2010 5:44 PM ET

ATLANTA (AP) - The Senate has approved legislation that would provide financial incentives to encourage local law enforcement to use a federal program aimed at identifying illegal immigrants arrested in Georgia.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Wiles and approved 37-11, would provide a 20 percent bonus from the state to local governments that use a federal program that helps them identify illegal immigrants already in custody.

It also would provide a 10 percent bonus for another program that allows arrestee fingerprint information to be checked against FBI criminal history records.

Wiles, a Kennesaw Republican, says people moving to Georgia from other countries who are committing crimes are often not identified because local governments don't participate in the federal program to identify them.


http://www.wtxl.tv/Global/story.asp?S=12198509

Counties to get extra money for turning in illegals
3:07 pm March 24, 2010, by Ernie Suggs

110 comments

Under a contentious bill that passed the Senate Wednesday, state and local governments can earn monetary bonuses from the state by quickly turning criminal illegal immigrants over to federal authorities.

The bill, SB 385, passed 37-11.

“This bill is a shot in the arm for our local governments and sheriffs who are on the front lines of this pressing issue everyday,â€

GA Senate Wants Counties to Join Illegal Immigration crackdown

Jonathan Shapiro (2010-03-25)

ATLANTA (WABE) - The state senate has passed a bill that encourages counties to join a federal program aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants.

287(g) is a federal program that trains and empowers police to enforce immigration law in local jails. The bill offers participating counties a 20 percent bonus toward the cost of processing suspected undocumented immigrants. Republican Senator David Wiles of sponsored the bill and says the program streamlines status checks and deportations of illegal immigrants.

"If you commit a crime that has 287(g) and you're not here legally your status will be checked and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be notified," says Wiles. "These are people who have broken our laws to get into the United States and then have broken our laws and ended up in jail."

Currently, four counties in Georgia - Hall, Whitman, Cobb, and Gwinnett - are participating in 287g and will benefit if the bill becomes a law.

While supporters of the bill say it makes communities safer, Azadeh Shahshahani of the ACLU argues it actually does the opposite.

"They're so afraid of contacting the police because of the fear of being placed in deportation proceedings, when they have been a victim of a crime or they have witnessed a crime or there's a public safety issue, they're afraid to contact police," says Shahshahani

She says 287(g) is creating a tense atmosphere between Hispanics who are here legally and local law enforcement.


http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/ ... .crackdown