A passionate public meeting on Tuesday evening placed Beaufort County Sheriff PJ Tanner in the middle of a vigorous discussion about immigration enforcement.
Thousands of individuals filled the gathering at the Bluffton Branch Library to question Tanner regarding his proposal to re-enroll the county in the 287(g) initiative — a collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that enables local sheriffs to enforce federal immigration regulations.
Critics expressed worries regarding the expenses and possible effects on the department’s everyday activities. However, Sheriff Tanner disagreed, stating that the costs would be handled by the federal government and that routine tasks would remain unaffected.
Sheriff Tanner stated that the initiative’s only purpose is to ensure the safety of the community — “This isn’t related to politics. It’s strictly about public safety.”
One individual referenced records from the sheriff’s office indicating that violent crime had actually decreased.afterThe county exited the program in 2013 with a 30% reduction, whereas it only decreased by 10% in 2010 during the program.
If there’s a public safety concern, I want to be informed, but the data doesn’t show that,” Ramirez stated. “Therefore, they are either misrepresenting the data or there’s no real issue.
Even with resistance, Sheriff Tanner remained determined about his plans: “Let me put it this way. We are going to implement a 287(g) program in Beaufort County, likely within the next few months.”
By this year, over 700 law enforcement organizations throughout the nation are involved in the 287(g) initiative.
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