Gwinnett sheriff takes issue with immigration rpt.

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway is taking issue with the findings of a report on an immigration enforcement program used by his department and several other sheriff's offices in the state, including Hall's.

The report, issued Monday by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank, said some local law enforcement agencies, particularly in the Southeast, are turning over illegal immigrants who commit even minor offenses to federal authorities for deportation, while others are focused on deporting more violent criminals. (See earlier story.)

But Sheriff Conway says such reports only serve to "further muddy the waters" on the immigration issue.