Grand jury: Crime up by illegals
Group suggests educating immigrants on laws, customs

By Camie Young
Senior Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE - A grand jury panel said illegal immigrants appear to be committing a "disproportionate number" of crimes in Gwinnett.

In presentments to be published in today's Gwinnett Daily Post Legal Notices, the panel recommended the county commission and state legislature track the impact of illegal immigration on taxpayers.

"It is the opinion of this grand jury that until the actual impact of illegal immigration is accurately known, rational business decisions to reduce this impact cannot be made," the presentments read.

The body also asked leaders to study and implement programs to reach out to the county's foreign-born population to teach them the "laws and customs" of this country.

"This way, law-abiding immigrants may fully understand and participate in the community," the document reads.

Deputy County Administrator Mike Comer said some outreach programs are under consideration.

"This is not just a job for local government, but it should be done by other groups," such as the Chamber of Commerce, which reaches out to business owners, Comer said. "It'll probably be something we develop over time."

The tracking of expenses is an idea previously presented by a grand jury panel, but Comer said the county only keeps track of some programs directly related to immigration.

"We don't know in a comprehensive way what the cost of immigration is," he said. "The tracking of the costs themselves would be expensive."

One such program is the federal 287(g) program being pursued by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

According to department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais, officials are still waiting on a memorandum of understanding from the federal Department of Homeland Security to begin the program, where deputies are trained to check the immigration status of all inmates in the county jail and begin deportation paperwork for the illegal ones.

Bourbonnais said the department has now filled all of its vacancies, which was essential to relieve overcrowding at the jail to comply with the federal guidelines.

"We are ready; we are just waiting on them," she said.

During the last six months, two grand jury panels met in Gwinnett to consider indictments for crimes. The other panel, in its presentments, directed the district attorney to investigate county park land acquisitions after a citizen presented information on the controversial Beaver Ruin Park deal. It also recommended the school system hire additional resource officers.


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