Georgia sheriff’s office credits immigration enforcement for large drop in crime

April 17th, 2011 12:59 am ET

Dave Gibson
Immigration Reform Examiner

Serious crime in 2010 dropped significantly in Gwinnett County, Georgia with murders down 43 percent, robberies down 30 percent and stolen vehicle reports falling 18 percent.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) says that their participation in the 287(g) program accounts for the drop in crime. There are 5,000 fewer illegal aliens in the county jail today than there were in late 2009 when the GCSO began participating in the federal program which allows local law enforcement to identify and report illegal aliens in their custody.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais told CBSAtlanta: “In the last 10 years, we have never seen a decrease in foreign-born bookings. “In fact, we’ve been seeing significant increases every single year for the last 10 years until the 287 G program started.â€