Thread: GA: Cobb County Sheriff takes MALDEF to task

American citizens are learning about MALDEF in Cobb County Georgia! Below are letters to the editor - including one from the sherrif - in the Marietta Daily Journal today and one from yesterday.

Cobb sheriff Neil Warren is the only sheriff in Georgia to have taken advantage of the eleven year-old federal tool that expands local law enforcement's authority to enforce American immigration laws. It is called "287g"

Here in Cobb County, we are very proud of our sheriff.

The Dustin Inman Society salutes sheriff Warren's attention to duty and his courage.
-d.a. king/dustin inman society
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Neil Warren/Letter to the Editor: Sheriff: No plans for roundup
Published: 11/25/2007

In response to Monday's MDJ article "Immigrants to Sheriff: Stop violating our rights," there are several issues addressed by Elise Shore of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund that need to be clarified.

More importantly, I am weary of my comments being misconstrued by organizations that oppose my implementation of the 287 (g) program and our partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

As I have said time and time again, as sheriff, it is my constitutional responsibility to uphold the laws of this state and protect the citizens of this community. I will continue to use this program as a law enforcement tool to keep criminals off the streets and in jail.

In July, we initiated the 287(g) program as a tool for identifying illegal immigrants charged with committing crimes in our community. To have Ms. Shore state that "Cobb Sheriff officials are violating the civil rights of the county's Latino residents" is simply not true. To my knowledge, there is no record anywhere that the Sheriff's Office, ICE or any other law enforcement agency in this county has violated anyone's civil rights. If I find out otherwise, I will take immediate action and resolve the issues brought to my attention. However, as with any new program, there is a learning process and Sheriff's employees, along with ICE agents, are working diligently to ensure that all policy and procedures within the Memorandum of Agreement are being followed correctly.

The article further mentions that MALDEF has written me insisting that the "county create a committee to monitor potential rights violations caused by its immigration enforcement procedures." According to the Memorandum, "the ICE Special Agent in Charge and/or the ICE Field Office Director in Atlanta and the Cobb County sheriff shall establish a steering committee that will meet periodically to review and assess the immigration enforcement activities conducted by the participating Law Enforcement Agency personnel and to ensure compliance with the terms of this MOA."

Over the past several months, I have met with the ICE Special Agent in Charge and we have discussed the implementation of the Steering Committee and other aspects of this developing program in Cobb. My intent is that ICE Agents and Sheriff's Office command staff will fulfill this responsibility.

In reference to Ms. Shore's statement that "It's mean-spirited enforcement of the law … the sheriff of Cobb County is more interested in getting moms and dads on their way to work than enforcing other laws," I would like to say that I personally find her comments offensive, not only to myself, but to all Sheriff's Office employees and to other law enforcement officers in Cobb. There are no enforcement efforts in this community that are actively targeting or rounding up illegal immigrants for deportation.

I have said it before and I will say it again: the Sheriff's Office is focused on individuals who have been arrested and charged with criminal offenses. If they are found to be in our country illegally, then it will be up to ICE as to whether they should be deported once their local charges are completed.

Ms. Shore further states that she has received complaints that "Latinos have said that they've been arrested because of minor traffic violations such as driving without a tail-light or turn signal."

Driving is a privilege, not a civil right. Prior to receiving a Georgia driver's license, one must pass a test demonstrating that he or she understands the laws of this state. As far as I am concerned, whether in the country legally or illegally, it is a violation of Georgia law to operate a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license, license tag or proof of insurance. Operating a 4,000-pound vehicle is a tremendous responsibility and the driver has an obligation to ensure that the vehicle is in good working condition such as working taillights, brakes, etc. Ms. Shore may consider some traffic violations minor, but in my 30 years as a law enforcement officer, I have seen too many traffic violations that have resulted in homicides.

In 2004, the citizens of this county elected me sheriff and it is has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity. The responsibility of providing the best law enforcement services to the community is one I take seriously. The implementation of the 287(g) at the County Jail has provided me with a critical tool to identify illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and remove them from our streets. The cooperation and communication among the various law enforcement agencies in Cobb is outstanding and second to none in the state.

We will all continue to work together with all the tools, creativity and expertise at our disposal to combat the criminal element in our community. Our citizens deserve no less.

Neil Warren
Sheriff, Cobb County
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99366.html
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L.L. Stephens/Letter to the Editor: You'd think we're the ones in a foreign country
Published: 11/25/2007

I want to commend Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren and his deputies and staff for the time, expense and effort they have gone through to get certified with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in dealing with "illegal" immigrants.

Those of us legal citizens support them. Deport as many "illegals" as they possibly can! However, until the federal government steps up to the plate and assumes its responsibility to seal our borders, those illegals will probably be right back.

Their sympathizers can try to dress it up and call them anything they want, but the correct classification is "illegal." I am glad that their supporters are telling them not to drive without a license. They are killing too many of the legal citizens with their recklessness and DUI driving.

Aiding and abetting a criminal is also illegal in this country. Therefore, isn't anyone who provides housing and jobs to illegal immigrants committing a crime, also?

And all of this whining about "rights" being violated in jails. When you are arrested for a crime and put in jail, you lose your rights. Inmates are pampered too much already with TVs, libraries and all of the other niceties. I thought jail was supposed to be a punishment. "Rights" are only for law abiding people who are in this country legally either by birth or by the legal immigration process. People who are in this country illegally have no civil rights in this country. I think that children born to people in this country illegally should also be declared illegal. Congress should look at that one.

I have a real problem with people who have no respect for our laws and enter this country illegally and then demand that they receive the rights accorded those of us here legally. Then they try to tell us how to run this country and don't even bother to learn the language. Even many churches are encouraging these people by providing services for them in Spanish. They should just let them attend the regular English services. I think that these churches should lose their tax-exempt status.

I am totally disgusted with having to press 1 whenever I make a phone call to hear the English version, and having to search a product label or instructions to find the English version. Now more and more signs are in two languages. In certain parts of the county whole billboards are in Spanish. You'd think that we were the ones in a foreign country.

L.L. Stephens
Marietta
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99367.html
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Winona Booth/Letter to the Editor: MALDEF's real goal to eliminate program
Published: 11/25/2007

Local authorities agreed in February to form the committee when they signed a deal with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Latino leaders said.

And MALDEF Regional Counsel Elise Shore said her office has received more than 100 calls in recent months regarding arrests. According to her, Latinos have said that they've been arrested because of minor traffic violations such as driving without a taillight or turn signal.

Well, perhaps Latino citizens are now more aware that MALDEF is taking these calls and so they are calling. It isn't usual for civil rights organizations to collect information on the number of police arrests/stops for minor traffic violations. The statistic of 100 calls by themselves is useless without further statistics to compare it with and further details. Is MALDEF saying that the laws should not be enforced against Latinos? They need to clarify what laws they believe should be enforced.

MALDEF's statements do not indicate nonbiased input to the committee. And statements on their Web site show their disdain for 287(g) and suggest their true motivation is to eliminate the program altogether as a tool for law enforcement.

Winona Booth
Marietta
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99368.html
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Lee Albright/Letter to the Editor: Contractors to blame for illegals problem
Published: 11/25/2007

I can only imagine that since the contractors are siding with the illegals in our county and country, that they are the ones that provide them with jobs, housing, etc.

I own property on West Dixie Avenue in Marietta and the majority of all the properties in that particular area that are managed by absentee landlords, and have depreciated the value of my house, but they could care less. I refuse to allow any illegal to work on my property or rent from me.

I commend Sheriff Warren's office for his efforts and they will not go unnoticed. In fact, people feel proud to know that we have one person who is willing to make a difference in our community.

Now all you contractor can see how much it really has an impact on their business. One emphatically stated at a recent town hall meeting, "I don't care if I get fined for hiring illegals, the fine is only $ 500, that's nothing."

They really leave a bad taste in my mouth and evidently have no principals, morals or ethics. How can they sleep at night?

Lee Albright
Marietta
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99369.html
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Marianne Harper/Letter to the Editor: Sheriff should monitor MALDEF
Published: 11/25/2007

I feel Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren should be on a committee to monitor MALDEF's activities. It is against the law to aid illegal aliens.

The pro-advocacy groups should be monitored to protect our communities and nation from illegal immigration promotion and illegal aiding.

Warren's duty is to protect our community and enforce the law. He is elected for this purpose. He doesn't need any pro-advocacy group on a committee to protest and nit-pick, thus preventing him from doing his job. The American citizen has forcefully shown we want our laws enforced.

Marianne Harper
Marietta
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99370.html
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Coy A. Short/Letter to the Editor: Illegal’s spokesman needs to focus on education
Published: 11/21/2007

The Leaders of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, as printed on the front page of Monday's MDJ, need to do more educating and less criticizing of our fine sheriff, Neil Warren, and his staff.

For instance, they could educate all the illegal immigrants about the fact that they have violated U.S. law by entering our country illegally and are subject to all the penalties prescribed by U. S. law.

Sheriff Warren is simply doing his job and enforcing the law. We should fire him if he did otherwise. The Cobb jail has about 2,000 prisoners with approximately 25 percent there for being in this country illegally. We have a sheriff who has the fortitude to face the problem and do what is right. If you don't think that is true, then look and compare what the other jurisdictions in the metro area and Georgia are doing to solve the illegal alien problem. I'm sure when you compare their activities to Warren's, you'll be proud that we have a sheriff who not only believes in the law, but enforces it as well. If other law enforcement agencies in the United States would do the same, we would not have more than 20 million illegals living here today.

I resent MALDEF attorney Elise Shore's comment that what Warren is doing is a "mean-spirited enforcement of the law." I suspect that Ms. Shore would love to have the almost 500 illegals currently in the Cobb jail back on the street so she could go to her constituents and brag about her achievement in getting them released.

We already have news reports that illegal aliens are responsible for 25 deaths of American citizens a day. These deaths range from auto accidents to murder.

Ms. Shore wants to be a part of any committee that is formed to ensure that "a deportation pact is being enforced in a way that protects people's civil rights" This, I suspect, is a way of trying to weasel her way into the process so she could have the opportunity to upset the procedures to benefit the illegal aliens.

I say Sheriff Warren and his staff are doing a fantastic job of finding and properly dealing with the illegal population and do not need an overseer from the illegal-alien support group. I say bravo to Sheriff Warren and his staff, and I pray they will keep up the good work.

Coy A. Short
Kennesaw
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99053.html
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Jimmie Sue Bristow/Letter to the Editor: Tired of our country kowtowing to illegals
Published: 11/21/2007

I am so very appalled and very sick and tired of the illegal immigrants' crybaby attitude. It is time for them to wake up and smell the coffee! They are in our country illegally!

They do not deserve anything from us - not free medical care, not a free education for their illegal children, not any kind of social services.

They come here and abuse our system, have more illegal children in the hopes of being able to stay here, and insult us and our country by not being willing to learn our language. We should not have any "Press 2 for Spanish" options. If you live in the United States of America, learn our rules and ways and live by them. Our language is English. Learn it and use it! We should not have to spend the millions of dollars we do translating everything into Spanish. We should not pay for them to learn English.

It is their responsibility.

They have broken the law and gotten into our country illegally. Then, when they break more laws and get caught, they cry foul. How is it wrong if they are stopped for driving without a taillight or turn signal, or if they are speeding? Why do they think they should not be stopped if they are breaking the law? What makes them feel so special that they should not have to abide by our laws while they are in our country? How can people like Elise Shore of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund call it "mean-spirited" to stop someone who is doing something illegal?

If you are not completely fluent in English, you should not drive at all, because you cannot do so safely if you cannot read signs.

Why in the world are we spending American dollars to cater to lawbreakers? They should go back to their country of origin and stay there until they can come to the United States legally and be able to support themselves and their families. They should learn English and learn American laws and be ready to live by them.

Jimmie Sue Bristow
Marietta
http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/ ... 99054.html

If you would like to express support for the Cobb County Sheriff and Cobb County's enforcement of immigration laws by utilizing 287(g), the contact information for the Sheriff's Office is below:

Nancy Bodiford
Executive Assistance
Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Public Safety Building, Second Floor
185 Roswell Street
Marietta, Georgia 30060

Telephone: (770) 499-4609
Facsimile: (770) 499-4792
E-mail: media@CobbSheriff.Org

Major Don Hunton
Assistant Division Commander
Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Public Safety Building, Second Floor
185 Roswell Street
Marietta, Georgia 30060

Telephone: (770) 499-4619
Facsimile: (770) 499-4792
E-mail: Donald.Hunton@CobbCounty.Org

Paula Morris
Assistant
Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Public Safety Building, Second Floor
185 Roswell Street
Marietta, Georgia 30060

Telephone: (770) 499-4611
Facsimile: (770) 499-4792
E-mail: Paula.Morris@CobbCounty.Org

Thanks zeezil.