{"id":2881,"date":"2010-01-10T22:34:08","date_gmt":"2010-01-11T02:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thedustininmansociety.com\/blog\/?p=2881"},"modified":"2010-01-11T10:25:17","modified_gmt":"2010-01-11T14:25:17","slug":"enforcement-works-287-g-in-gwinnett-county-sheriff-butch-conway-says-clear-signs-of-success-less-than-two-monthsplan-easing-jail-crowding-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/2010\/01\/10\/enforcement-works-287-g-in-gwinnett-county-sheriff-butch-conway-says-clear-signs-of-success-less-than-two-monthsplan-easing-jail-crowding-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Enforcement works – 287 (g) in Gwinnett County: Sheriff Butch Conway says “clear signs of success in less than two months…plan easing jail crowding “"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gwinnett Daily Post<\/em>
\nSunday
\nJanuary 10, 2010<\/p>\n

Sheriff: 287(g) works <\/strong><\/p>\n

Conway says deportation plan easing jail crowding<\/p>\n

LAWRENCEVILLE \u2014 Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway, the shepherd of 287 (g), says the fast-track deportation program is showing clear signs of success less than two months since its activation. <\/p>\n

Conway shrugs off claims from immigrant rights activists who complain the program is racially motivated. He points instead to data that show 287 (g) is easing jail crowding and could save the county millions, while pulling law-breakers by the hundreds from streets and neighborhoods. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a breakdown by nationality of illegal alien suspects identified by Gwinnett\u2019s 287 (g) program since its Nov. 16 activation:*
\n\u2022 Africa – 2
\n\u2022 Brazil – 1
\n\u2022 Colombia – 1
\n\u2022 Cuba – 3
\n\u2022 El Salvador – 21
\n\u2022 Guatemala – 24
\n\u2022 Honduras – 38
\n\u2022 India – 1
\n\u2022 Jamaica -1
\n\u2022 Mexico – 227
\n\u2022 Other* – 43
\n\u2022 Panama -1
\n\u2022 Philippines -1
\n\u2022 Unknown -1
\n\u2022 Virgin Islands -1
\n*Source: Gwinnett County Jail statistics updated late Thursday. The \u201cOther\u201d category constitutes countries not tracked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. \u2014 Josh Green
\nConway credits 287 (g) with a dramatic decrease in bookings of illegal immigrants since its Nov. 16 debut. Such bookings \u2014 which he said can gum the system \u2014 dropped roughly 31 percent over the same timespan a year prior. The overall jail population has dipped to 2,400 \u2014 levels not seen since early 2007, Conway said. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven with the economy going down, we still saw an increase in foreign national book-ins every year,\u201d he said. \u201cNow they\u2019re down tremendously.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the following conversation with staff writer Josh Green, the sheriff discusses community feedback and the attributes of 287 (g), while disputing claims that the program is xenophobic:<\/p>\n

Josh Green: In its first six weeks, 287 (g) will be directly responsible for deporting 286 inmates. Is that number about what you had in mind beforehand?<\/p>\n

Butch Conway: I actually thought the number would be higher. But our jail population numbers have gone down, much more so than I expected. <\/p>\n

JG: You\u2019ve seen a tangible impact in the jail already?<\/p>\n

BC: Yes. That impact is from not booking as many foreign-born people. <\/p>\n

JG: Is that more because word about the program has gotten out, or is it tied to some sort of exodus out of Gwinnett? <\/p>\n

BC: That I don\u2019t know. Obviously, fewer foreign nationals are being booked; that number\u2019s substantially fewer. All I can see is that 287 (g) is responsible for those drops. <\/p>\n

JG: How often is it that a suspect comes in without any shred of ID and no common language? Is this something you deal with commonly?<\/p>\n

BC: Oh yeah. <\/p>\n

JG: Then what?<\/p>\n

BC: We have people who speak different languages working here, and they\u2019ll try (to) translate. <\/p>\n

JG: Is there any way to check that (suspects are) not flat-out lying to you about who they are?<\/p>\n

BC: Yeah. Now we have biometric (tests). They can actually take a fingerprint and, within a few seconds, it\u2019ll identify the person (in county, state and Homeland Security databases). <\/p>\n

JG: Has the backlash to 287 (g) surprised you?<\/p>\n

BC: Backlash? <\/p>\n

JG: Backlash in terms of detractor groups being very audible about their displeasure. <\/p>\n

BC: That\u2019s kind of like a fly on a horse\u2019s rump. I haven\u2019t seen that to be a very substantial argument or number of people involved in it.<\/p>\n

JG: One of their primary arguments is that 287 (g) promotes racial-profiling … <\/p>\n

BC: That\u2019s just a distraction. <\/p>\n

JG: I\u2019ve heard you call it \u201cabsolute bull.\u201d<\/p>\n

BC: If you look at Saul Alinsky\u2019s teachings, that\u2019s what they follow. The ACORN-type philosophy of finding an issue to detract from what you\u2019re after and put the attention somewhere else. And also to make your opponents look racist, that\u2019s part of it.<\/p>\n

JG: One common argument is that 287 (g) unjustly rips apart families. How do you respond to that? <\/p>\n

BC: That\u2019s not anything within my purview. I\u2019m just enforcing the law. <\/p>\n

JG: As a whole, a county, what is Gwinnett\u2019s opinion of 287 (g)?<\/p>\n

BC: From what I\u2019ve seen, everyone is strongly in favor of it. The media keeps calling it a controversial program. This is the least controversial issue I think I\u2019ve had as sheriff. I think there are more people in favor of what I\u2019m doing than anything I\u2019ve done to date. <\/p>\n

JG: Do you gather that from talking with people? Do you get letters cheering you on?<\/p>\n

BC: Oh yeah. E-mails, and I look at blog postings. It\u2019s obviously very favorable among the community. <\/p>\n

JG: (Opponents) want legislation passed that would call for a greater accountability on the part of law enforcement. What they mean is that, when it comes to making vehicle stops, they want a reason documented and demographic information documented. Does that sound reasonable to you?<\/p>\n

BC: That\u2019s a horrible idea. It puts more on the officers, creates more paperwork, more bureaucracy. I think some people would find it offensive if they\u2019re a passenger in a vehicle and an officer asks them what their race is. I would find that very offensive.<\/p>\n

JG: How would you respond to the argument that police are concentrating on areas where people of a certain ethnicity might be?<\/p>\n

BC: I think the police are concentrating on higher-crime areas. If that correlates, then that\u2019s just a side issue. That\u2019s not what (police) are there for. <\/p>\n

JG: You\u2019ve been in Gwinnett law enforcement (since 1973). It was a vastly different place back then, to say the least. Did you ever imagine it becoming so diverse? <\/p>\n

BC: I never imagined Gwinnett with the population growth we\u2019ve experienced. I came here from DeKalb County, where I grew up, and Gwinnett had a population of about 70,000 people. It\u2019s changed somewhat. <\/p>\n

JG: Changed in terms of size and diversity. <\/p>\n

BC: Certainly. I think that\u2019s a good thing. I welcome the diversity we have. <\/p>\n

JG: What\u2019s the value you see, personally, in a diverse county?<\/p>\n

BC: Just the different cultures, the different restaurants you get to eat at. Different foods you get to try. <\/p>\n

JG: Is deportation a be-all, end-all solution? <\/p>\n

BC: It will lower the crime rate. Gwinnett will be safer with some of these people gone. Not to say that all illegal immigrants are bad people; we just shouldn\u2019t have to deal with any of them. They shouldn\u2019t be here. (With) this agency, the cost is probably $6 to $7 million a year that could be tied to illegal immigrants. <\/p>\n

JG: If you were able to retain that money, any ideas where it would go? <\/p>\n

BC: Probably in getting civil papers served quicker. Arrest warrants are backlogged. We\u2019re inundated with failure to appear bench warrants. Up to this point, an illegal came in, either made bond immediately … or after 48 hours, if it was a misdemeanor, they were released on their own signature. A high number of those people failed to appear. Then we end up with arrest warrants, and having to try to track them down. That can be difficult in that community sometimes. <\/p>\n

JG: How common are instances of illegal immigrant suspects being deported here and coming back? <\/p>\n

BC: I really don\u2019t know the answer to that. They certainly do come back sometimes, but that\u2019s a felony offense when they\u2019ve re-entered. The ones we\u2019re getting deported now … I don\u2019t think they\u2019re coming back like they used to. Obviously, with the economy, the jobs aren\u2019t here. Is it worth the trouble and expense to come right back? Probably not. <\/p>\n

JG: I noticed some new 287 (g) signage (on jail property). <\/p>\n

BC: We\u2019re not trying to hide anything. I think the word\u2019s out in the community that if they go to jail, there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll be deported. I\u2019m not talking strictly Hispanics. We\u2019ve gotten Caucasian illegals. They\u2019re from countries all over the world. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read it and comment HERE <\/a>
\nTHANK YOU SHERIFF CONWAY! CONTACT INFO HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gwinnett Daily Post Sunday January 10, 2010 Sheriff: 287(g) works Conway says deportation plan easing jail crowding LAWRENCEVILLE \u2014 Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway, the shepherd of 287 (g), says the fast-track deportation program is showing clear signs of success less than two months since its activation. Conway shrugs off claims from immigrant rights activists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2881"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2881\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedustininmansociety.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}