“It may be historic in that it’s likely the first time a Cobb County sheriff has moved to protect drunk driving child rapists in our country illegally.”
So says Jon Ferre of Cobb’s Democrat Sheriff, Craig Owens. Ferre was Senior Advisor to the Director and later Chief of Staff at ICE under the Trump administration. Owens is well-known for inviting a mariachi band to play at a gala event in which he proudly announced he had ended the Cobb jail’s lifesaving 287(g) agreement with ICE shortly after taking office in 2021.
Signed into law by then President Bill Clinton, 287 (g) authorizes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform limited, specified immigration officer functions under the agency’s direction and oversight. It is primarily used in jails and deals with illegal aliens already arrested for additional crimes.
As this writer observed when he was elected, Sheriff Craig Owens is a dangerous man. He is also defiantly arrogant. He has announced that he will not obey new state law on immigration enforcement.
Owens has pledged to ignore a clear mandate in HB 1105 (“The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act”) passed in the 2024 General Assembly. In part, it requires all sheriffs to apply for 287 (g) authority if they are not already authorized.
From the AJC: (“Whiplash in Gwinnett, Cobb as new law on immigration enforcement takes effect) “Owens says he was not going to apply for 287(g) again because he can’t spare the deputies to investigate immigration cases or do the administrative work.” Sheriff Owens is depending on public ignorance on the reality of the ICE program. But even the AJC quotes Lena Gerber, a leftist activist at the “Immigrant Legal Resource Center” when she correctly points out that “…the agreements on their own don’t require deputies to go out of their way to investigate immigration cases.”
Ferre, the former ICE official agreed. “Asking a jailed individual a few questions about citizenship and alienage obviously doesn’t amount to an investigation.” Now at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington D.C., Ferre produced required reading on Cobb’s Sheriff (Georgia Sheriff Misleads on 287(g) Program) in June.
I asked various pro-enforcement Georgians about Owens announcement.
“I believe that would be called a “protection racket” for illegals…” former Border Patrol Agent Robert Trent told me upon hearing of Owen’s latest illegal policy. Trent retired as Assistant Director, Enforcement Training, US Immigration Officer Academy at GLYNCO in Brunswick.
HB 1105 sponsor Rep Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) weighed in on Owens defiance: “It was not surprising to see Sheriff Owens of Cobb County boldly state he would not follow state law. He has refused to follow the law before. This is why penalties for Sheriffs who refuse to follow the law were placed in the bill”
* Related reading: Georgia law requires all jailers to report incarcerated illegal aliens to DHS – but it’s not enforced
Petrea told this writer he is determined to see compliance this time. We hope to hear the same from Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr.
Passage of HB 1105 was a direct response to preventable crimes committed by criminal aliens and sheriffs who were ignoring 2006 and 2009 laws passed to require them to report illegal aliens to federal authorities. It is literally a law that says Georgia Sheriffs must obey the law.
Owens’ pro-enforcement opponent
We asked Owens Republican opponent David Cavender about Owens objection to the 287 (g) program. “He can’t spare the deputies for immigration cases or the 287(g) administration paper work? He sure doesn’t mind sparing his deputies for bike units, horse units, traffic units, his and his executive staff’s personal drivers and his own Executive Protection team for his own safety. It seems Craig has plenty of resources to spare as long as it’s for his own agenda…” said Cavender.
A member of the SWAT team, Cavender is currently a Sergeant with the Cobb County Police Department and a 287(g) proponent. He has a long list of endorsements, including from former Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren and the Cobb Fraternal Order of Police. Warren instituted 287 (g) in 2007.
Pro-enforcement voters of all descriptions are flocking to Cavender. The Marietta Daily Journal noted that a large group of supporters turned out at the Marietta Country Club last week again to support Cavender. “There’s a lot of momentum behind the campaign and everything really seems to be going really well,” says Cavender. “It was quite humbling, really, to see that kind of crowd.”
Guests were also treated to an appearance from Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave a few words before leading the group in prayer” according to news reports.
Pro-enforcement Cobb County voters have a chance to greatly improve public safety by voting Owens out of office. Both of the votes from our house will be to that end.
- A version of this essay was posted on the subscription website James Magazine Online on Sept. 9, 2024.
D.A. King is president of the Marietta-based Dustin Inman Society and proprietor of ImmigrationPoliticsGA.com
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