GEORGIA – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has requested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) train all 1,100 sworn officers to help detain people living in the state illegally, according to a news release.
Kemp directed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Billy Hitchens to request ICE train all officers under his command through the 287(g) program.
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Under President Donald Trump, ICE is reviving and expanding a decades-old program that trains local law officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation. The 287(g) program — named for a section of the 1996 law that created it — currently applies only to those already jailed or imprisoned on charges.
But Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, recently told sheriffs that he wants to expand it to include local task forces that can make arrests on the streets, reviving a model that former President Barrack Obama discontinued amid concerns about racial profiling. It’s unclear whether that could allow local officers to stop people solely to check their immigration status.
“If you are in our country illegally and committing crimes, you have no place in Georgia,” said Kemp in a statement. “This is another commonsense measure on top of those we’ve taken since I first took office to further enable hardworking law enforcement to assist in identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who pose a risk to public safety.”
According to the release, the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) already participates in the 287(g) program through the Jail Enforcement Model.
Last week, ICE contacted the GDC requesting two additional corrections officers to assist in the deportation of people living in the country illegally as part of the 287(g) agreement.
“We take the safety of Georgians and travelers to this state very seriously,” Hitchens said. “This training and collaboration between agencies increases our ability to keep our communities safe. Identifying those who pose a threat and who are not in our country legally through education and interagency communication allows us to serve our citizens to the best of our ability, which is ultimately our goal.”
