Hello, Fulton County Commissioners…<\/p>\n
ICE warns of consequences following passage of Fulton\u2019s resolution <\/strong><\/p>\n The Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em><\/p>\n U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday cited public safety concerns in reacting to a new Fulton County resolution that urges Sheriff Ted Jackson to stop cooperating with the federal agency.<\/p>\n “The release of a serious criminal offender to the community, rather than to ICE custody, undermines ICE\u2019s ability to protect public safety and impedes us from enforcing the nation\u2019s immigration laws,\u201d ICE spokesman Vincent Picard said in an email Thursday. Fulton\u2019s resolution asks Jackson to prevent ICE from using county facilities for \u201cinvestigative interviews or other purposes.\u201d It also says county personnel shall not spend time communicating with ICE under certain conditions. Further, it urges Jackson to not comply with ICE detainers, which are official requests for jails to hold inmates beyond their scheduled release dates so ICE can take custody of them and attempt to deport them.<\/p>\n Fulton Commission Chairman John Eaves said he voted for Wednesday\u2019s resolution based on several concerns about the detainers, including \u201cthe damage they may inflict upon the relationship between our law enforcement officers and our immigrant community.\u201d Approved Wednesday by a vote of 6-0, the resolution says the federal government is not reimbursing Fulton for the costs to comply with ICE detainers. But the federal government awarded Fulton $8,878 in funding this fiscal year for incarcerating immigrants without legal status. Counties become eligible for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program money by incarcerating such inmates \u2014 who have at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions \u2014 for at least four consecutive days. The funding helps counties pay for deputy salaries, jail maintenance and rehabilitation programs for inmates. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has requested an interview with the sheriff about the resolution. A spokeswoman for Jackson on Wednesday issued a statement about the county jail\u2019s handling of ICE detainers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf an inmate has local charges and has an ICE detainer request, then that inmate is held on the local charges only,\u201d Tracy Flanagan, a spokeswoman for Jackson, said by email. \u201cOnce the local case is resolved, ICE is notified. Persons are not held once they are scheduled for release.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nPicard added the same scenario \u201ccreates an officer safety issue when ICE officers have to attempt to apprehend the most serious offenders outside a controlled penal setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nOn Thursday, ICE disclosed it had issued 30 detainers to the Fulton jail between July and August. Of those, 15 were for immigrants who were in the country illegally and who had been convicted of \u201cLevel 1\u201d crimes. That category includes homicide, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault, extortion, sexual assault and other sex offenses, cruelty toward children, hit-and-run and certain felony drug crimes.<\/p>\n
\nFulton Commissioner Liz Hausmann abstained from voting on the county resolution Wednesday, saying she was hesitant to support it without input from the sheriff and other public safety officials.<\/p>\n