Dear editor

Access to verification program is limited

I found the AJC article “Strict immigration law lacks ‘teeth’ ” (News, March 2) somewhat misleading regarding the comments made by the district attorney. The reporter spoke with my staff yet failed to add comments explaining why the course of action proposed by the district attorney was not feasible.

E-Verify is a program through which employers may check the immigration status of individuals they intend to employ. Access to this program is limited to the actual employer. In the case of workers on a construction project, only the contractor or subcontractor employing the worker is authorized to use this system.

Prior to beginning the expansion at the Cobb County jail, we talked with immigration authorities about utilizing the 287(g) program to verify the immigration status of individuals hired by Turner and its subcontractors to work on the project. We were advised that this would not be allowed. Under our 287(g) agreement, we do not have the authority to check the legal status of anyone that is not arrested and brought into jail custody.

Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren

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