GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. () — One local county is opting to work with ICE agents to identify undocumented immigrants and serve warrants.

“These are human beings with families. These are people who benefit our country and our state,” said Eduardo Delgado from migrant equity Southeast.

This is the concern voiced by Migrant Equity Southeast after Glynn County Sheriff E. Neal Jump announced his plan to partner with ICE on Federal Program 287G. This initiative permits specially trained deputies and detention officers to execute federal immigration warrants within the Glynn County detention center.

“Such an agreement would effectively intensify immigration enforcement, leveraging the local deputies’ knowledge of the community to enforce immigration policies and potentially facilitate family separations,” Delgado explained.

Jump said the warrants will be served to people who have already been arrested for other illegal activity and who are in the country illegally.

Although the sheriff mentioned that this would only impact those already arrested or incarcerated, Delgado remains concerned that even minor offenses might compel immigrants to leave their families and the country.

“The response that we get from the community is essentially one of fear,” Delgado said. “You know, a lot of these folks drive daily to their jobs to feed their families. Maybe they pick up their kids from school. They are now fearful that a lot of these sheriff deputies will be essentially going around choosing the smallest infraction they can find and essentially starting the investigation into their status and then promptly then turned over to ice detention.”

Delgado says these even though these people are immigrants they are still a vital part of our community.

“They are, you know, providing critical labor that let’s be honest, U.S. Citizens aren’t willing to take these jobs, go out in the hot sun for $12 an hour,” Delgado said. “In the best-case scenario, folks aren’t going to want to do that. And so, by targeting these folks, we are essentially setting ourselves up for economic consequences.”

When we first covered this story, other counties in our area, such as Bryan, Effingham and Chatham counties, all said they will not be participating in the program. So far, Glynn County is the only county opting in our area.