According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Trump administration is considering the expansion of a contentious federal immigration enforcement program in each of the Carolinas, and in Georgia. The 287(g) program, named in honor of the federal law that gave it authorization, would allow local law enforcement officials to question individuals about their legal status, as well to serve arrest warrants and to hold and transport criminals on immigration violations.
Four Georgia counties, Hall, Whitfield, Gwinnett, and Cobb, are already participating in the program, and another four may join. But, Bryan Cox, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, declined to name them, citing the privacy rules laid down by the agency, and saying only that the counties would be named in a public announcement if they become part of the program.
Critics have called on the US government to close down the 287(g) program all over the country, claiming that it serves as a distraction for police from more important duties. But, supporters claim that it is an effective method of cracking down on undocumented immigrants.
Soon after taking office in January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in which he called for the program to be expanded throughout the US. In July 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a further 18 new agreements to the program in the state of Texas, with the current nationwide total standing as high as 60.