Clayton County officials deny ‘sanctuary’ status (Atlanta, Griffin: 2014, law)

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Clayton County officials deny

JONESBORO — Clayton County officials stressed Thursday morning that they are not a “sanctuary county.”

The county issued a release in response to concerns that the county is not complying with officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement “unless ICE first presents the sheriff’s office with a judicially issued warrant authorizing detention.”

“The Clayton County Board of Commissioners has received no correspondence from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement suggesting that Clayton County’s public safety agencies are not in compliance with federal immigration law,” stated GlenNeta Griffin, marketing and communications manager for the BOC, in a press release.

“According to our records, Clayton County’s public safety agencies are acting in compliance with federal immigration law and cooperating with federal officials,” Griffin stated. “In fact, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office actively participates in ICE’s Safe Communities Program and works to identify and remove criminal aliens in the county.”

This contrasts from a recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit research organization which refers to itself as “the nation’s only think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States,” according to its website.

That report contends that Clayton County is the only sanctuary jurisdiction in the entire state of Georgia, although the county does not call itself one.



That report cites a November 2014 article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution which alleged that the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office would not comply with requests from the federal government to hold detainees past their scheduled release date for the purpose of deportation.

Griffin stated in the press release the county has filed a request with ICE to determine the county’s status.

“Clayton County’s primary objective is to gather accurate information to ensure the county is in compliance with all applicable laws and that its citizens are safe,” the press release states.

A local government not complying with federal policies regarding detainment of undocumented immigrants could wind up facing problems in the form of funding. An executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on Jan. 25 would strip federal funding from jurisdictions that harbor undocumented migrants.

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Consider the source.

The Center for Immigration Studies is one of the network of anti-immigration groups founded by John Tanton, an activist with white nationalist leanings and a fondness for extreme “population control” measures. Tanton founded CIS in 1985 to “wage a war of ideas” on immigration; today, CIS spokespeople are frequently quoted in the media, and its studies supply the anti-immigrant movement and its allied politicians with a stream of talking points and figures to back up their positions. Based in Washington, D.C., CIS is led by Executive Director Mark Krikorian.

— Center for Immigration Studies | Right Wing Watch