ACLU still trying to kill 287 (g) in Cobb – racebaiting tool in use
AJC
12 October 2009
ACLU: Report documents ( its own charges of) racial profiling in Cobb
Added info: HERE
The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia on Monday released a report documenting the stories of 10 people who say they experienced racial profiling by Cobb County law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the organization said the report shows the human impact of the 287(g) program at the Cobb County jail, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security which allows deputies to check the immigration status of inmates. Inmates who are in the country illegally are turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to begin deportation proceedings.
“Cobb police have abused the power granted to them under 287(g),” Azadeh Shahshahani, an ACLU of Georgia spokesperson, told about 15 people who huddled in the Marietta square during a rain-soaked morning press conference. “This has led to an atmosphere of terror where immigrants are afraid to contact police.”
The ACLU of Georgia’s report was aimed at convincing the government to halt the controversial program.
On the opposite side of the square, a group on the opposite side of the immigration debate held an informal rally to show support for 287(g). About 10 people were in attendance.
“Illegal immigration is not a race issue,” said Inger Eberhart, who is on the board of the Dustin Inman Society, an anti-illegal immigration organization. “It is an issue of enforcing immigration law.”
Eberhart, who is black, said the ACLU of Georgia was “race baiting” and hijacking the civil rights struggle of the recent past to further its goal of ending 287(g).
The release of the report this week coincides with an Oct. 15 deadline for the public to submit to the Department of Homeland Security comments about existing 287(g) agreements. The DHS is in the process of updating its agreements with participating law enforcement agencies.