Cherokee Sheriff's Office

498 Chattin Drive

Canton, Georgia 30115
(678) 493-4200
Fax (678) 493-4195
':.4 NATIONALLY ACCREDITED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY"
Roger Garrison, Sheriff

September 24, 2008

Assistant Secretary Julie Myers
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
425 I StreetN.W. Room 7100
Washington, DC 20536

Dear Assistant Secretary Myers:

I am writing to request participation in the Delegation of Authority Program pursuant to 287(g) of

the Immigration and Naturalization Act. I feel that this partnership will foster the cooperation
between my agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulting in our ability to better
serve and meet the needs of the citizens of Cherokee County and the State of Georgia.

I am proposing the following Delegation of Authority Training for the individuals and purposes
as outlined below. I am aware that all personnel dedicated to this program and training must have
a minimum of two yea.rs of experience, will be required to pass a security and/or background
check, hav~ . no pending disciplinary actions and sufficiently complete the Jail Enforcement
Officer training. .

I am requesting that 5 detention officers/deputy sheriffs at the Cherokee County Adult

Detention Center receive the training as outlined in the Section 287(g) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act. These officers will be processing offenders that enter our facility in
order to identify those that are violating the Federal Immigration Laws.

This program will be beneficial to the Cherokee County citizens and the State of Georgia in that
the Sheriff's Office will have the ability to identify and retain custody of those individuals that
pose a risk to our community.

I look forward to the opportunity to enter into a MOA with United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement and working toward the common goal of protecting and serving all of our
citizens.

Sincerely,

s~~iUsoL.n~·- . . .~
Cherokee Sheriffs'Office
 Office o/Swle and LocCi/ Coordination

U.S. Departmtnl of Homtland Security

5001211\ Slreet SW
Washington. DC 20536

US. Immigration
and Customs
Enforcement
Roger D. Garrison
Sheriff HOV ' 4m
Cherokee County
498 Chattin Drive
Canton, Georgia 30115

Dear Sheriff'Garrison:

Thank you for your letter expressing interest in the 287(g) Delegation of Authority program
offered by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), within the Department of
Homeland Security.

As the largest investigative agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE is
charged with protecting national security and ensuring public safety through the aggressive
enforcement of federal immigration and customs laws across the more than 3.5 million square
miles that make up our great nation. ICE recognizes, however, that we share the responsibility
of ensuring public safety with over 775,000 state and local law enforcement officers. One way
ICE addresses this joint goal is by building partnerships with state and local law enforcement
agencies (LEAs). To facilitate these partnerships and work more closely with our state and local
counterparts, ICE launched the comprehensive Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to
Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS) program in 2007.

ICE ACCESS serves to provide state and local LEAs like yours an opportunity to partner with
ICE to specifically combat the immigration and customs enforcement challenges of their
communities. To accomplish this, ICE ACCESS offers an umbrella of services and programs to
assist local LEAs with interior enforcement issues. The 287(g) program that your letter
referenced is only one such component. Other programs that fall within the purview of ICE
ACCESS include: the Customs Cross-Designation (Title 19), Document and Benefit Fraud Task
Forces, the Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC), Operation Community Shield, the
Criminal Alien Program (CAP), Fugitive Operations, and Rapid Repatriation. Please find
enclosed a copy ofthe ICE ACCESS Fact Sheet for more information.

It is through strategic discussions and efforts such as these that strong partnerships between state
and local law enforcement agencies and ICE can be developed. Combining Federal, state, and
local resources has proven successful in safeguarding the public. I have requested that the local
ICE ACCESS liaisons work in coordination with you to determine which ICE ACCESS
programs will best meet our joint needs. The first step in identifying which programs best suit
your needs will be to complete the "Needs Assessment Tool" that will be sent by
ICE . . The local points of contact for ICE ACCESS are: in the Office of
at 404-3ib}( .(lIfld in the Office of Detention and Removal
you again for your interest in ICE.

Sincerely,

L~/t~.~
William F. Riley
Acting Executive Director
Office of State and Local Coordination

Enclosure
www.ice.gov