TailOverTeaKettle.com

Back in October I noted that Cobb County, GA approved joining the federal program which allows their Sherriff to more easily determine the immigration status of those arrested, since many would make it out on bond before it was even known whether they were in the country illegally.

WXIA is reporting that Cobb County is now preparing to activate those checks:

Cobb County is about to make history by taking a bite out of crime committed by illegal immigrants. This week, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office became the first law enforcement agency in Georgia to gain unprecedented access to federal resources.

The agreement is called 287(g). It is long and complicated, but it comes down to this: for the first time, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office will have access to a specialized database run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The sheriff said that will help close a gap that lets criminals slip away.

Previously, according to Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren, a system that doesn’t quite work kept his hands tied.

“Some individuals made bond or got out before we could find out if they were legal,” Warren said.

The current system in Georgia is that an inmate suspected of being in the country illegally is run through a specialized immigration database. The information is then routed back to law enforcement. By the time the information gets back, though, the inmate may have already walked.

The new agreement now gives the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office access to that very database, making them one of just seven local law enforcement agencies in the nation with permission to get the information directly.

The sheriff’s office plans on training about a half-dozen deputies how to use the new database in an intense five-week program including interview techniques, civil liberties education, and cultural awareness training. Sheriff Warren hopes to have the training underway by March.

I will be curious to see, however, what actions ultimately result once they have access to the information in the federal database. What they found in Roswell, GA was that even though the police chief made every effort to report illegal immigrants or suspected illegal immigrants to ICE, they were rarely actually deported.

Overwhelmed immigration agents say they only have time to deport the worst of the worst - terrorists, murderers and violent gang members. “It’s a simple question of priorities,” said ICE’s [Kenneth] Smith. “If we’re using resources to respond to somebody charged with a misdemeanor in Roswell, who are we missing?”

Let’s see if they have a better success rate when the program is implemented in Cobb County. We’ll be watching!