Gwinnett inmates to be screened by ICE

LAWRENCEVILLE - Federal immigration agents are set to kick off a 26-day program to screen foreign nationals at the Gwinnett County Detention Center and identify illegal immigrants for deportation.

Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Criminal Alien Program enforcement team are scheduled to start the screening Monday. They are scheduled to work shifts from 6 a.m. to midnight with 15 employees working per shift.

Jail officials estimate that about 60 percent of the foreign nationals booked into the center last year were in the U.S. illegally.

Immigration activist groups oppose the program. They say it could lead to human rights violations, such as insufficient legal representation and racial profiling.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/1/216737