Educators Urge Gwinnett Sheriff To Stop Cooperating With ICE: Report

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Educators in Gwinnett County are urging local authorities to stop cooperating with federal immigration efforts as students are afraid of attending school, WSB-TV reported.

Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor on Sunday responded to the plea of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators to pause cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The sheriff's office said they were aware of the association's open letter, which WSB-TV reported was sent Thursday to the sheriff's office.

"As such, we are taking immediate steps to meet with the group, as we have with other community leaders, civic rights organizations and elected officials for a candid conversation regarding this delicate matter," Taylor said in a statement.

The association claimed Gwinnett County's public schools have empty seats because families are not sending their students to school "in an attempt to keep them safe from ICE," according to the letter, per the media report.

Berkmar High School teacher Guillermo Maduro-Vasquez told the news outlet students are fearful of standing at bus stops, while educator Elise Shepherd reportedly said timid students are arriving to her school.

House Bill 1105 mandates the reporting of a Department of Correction inmate's immigration and offenses statuses. Jailers would have to provide quarterly reports on foreign born inmates, and standard procedures would be provided for the intake and booking of foreign nationals.

The bill, enacted in May 2024, provides further guidance on authorities' obligation to report anyone who may be undocumented.

WSB-TV previously reported Taylor said he planned to work "with ICE as much as the law requires."

“I’m not a fan of 1105, but whether I like the bill, dislike the bill, the bill got passed," he said in the report. "My job now is to enforce the law."

The Gwinnett County Association of Educators reportedly wants to directly meet with Taylor on the matter.