Debate Over 287(g) Program Leads To Tense Exchanges At Gwinnett Forum
Dozens of community members gathered Wednesday night to discuss Gwinnett County’s controversial 287(g) program.
Emil Moffatt / WABE
It was a tense community forum Wednesday night in Lawrenceville as people clashed over Gwinnett County’s controversial 287(g) program.
The program allows local law enforcement officers to detain people living in the country illegally who they arrest for other crimes and turn them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Gwinnett County’s sheriff is a staunch defender of 287(g) He says it reduces crime in the county.
Organizers of Wednesday night’s forum say the program, which has been in place since 2010, unfairly targets people of color and causes distrust of police.
Adelina Nicholls is with Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, a group working to end it.
“287(g) has damaged communities of color, immigrants for many years, almost 10 years in this county. We need to discuss this,” Nicholls said.
While the forum was peaceful, it was filled with tension.
The majority of the approximately 60 people in attendance came to hear more about the program. But they were met by a dozen or so supporters of 287(g) and several shouting matches ensued.
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