Gwinnett County Commissioner Marlene Fosque. Image Gwinnett County website

 

“I would have to say D.A. King has done work in Gwinnett,” Conway said. “He’s been an adviser to me for a dozen years now (in regard to) 287(g) and immigration matters.”

Gwinnett Daily Post

Immigration debate looms over Commissioner Marlene Fosque ethics hearing

Curt Yeomans
January 20, 2020

Although the ethics hearing held against Gwinnett Commissione Marlene Fosque was intended to determine whether she acted unethically by publicly criticizing Dustin Inman Society founder D.A. King’s participation in a 287(g) forum, the elephant in the room kept raising its head.

That elephant was the debate over U.S. immigration policy and the role of race in that debate.

“They were trying to make that case on some things that we don’t think are relative to our determination,” ethics board chairman David Will said after the hearing. “It’s not a public forum where we’re having a discussion on that. We’re trying to decide, based on (King’s) complaint, did it violate the code of ethics.”

Although testimony and closing arguments in the ethics hearing wrapped up Thursday, the panel that conducted the hearing is scheduled to reconvene for one more day this week to deliberate and try to reach a decision on whether Fosque’s comments about King violated the county’s ethics policy.

At the Aug. 6 county commission meeting, Fosque cited a Southern Poverty Law Center assessment of the Dustin Inman Society as an anti-immigrant hate group as she denounced King’s participation in the forum.

Fosque hosted the forum, but left the selection of pro-287(g) panelists up to the Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office.

“I have no malice toward you, I don’t know you,” Fosque told King as she testified Thursday. “What my intentions were was to talk to the great citizens of Gwinnett County and tell them who we were not, and also to be able to express to the citizens, my constituents who I represent, that I didn’t invite you.”

Time and again on Thursday, Will had to reign in King and Fosque’s attorney, Steve Reilly, during the questioning of witnesses as queries kept drifting back to the topic of U.S. immigration policy and the immigration movement.

Several statements made by King over the years were brought up during the hearing…. More here.