‘My job now is to enforce the law’: Gwinnett County Sheriff defends cooperation with ICE
Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor defended his department’s cooperation with federal immigration officials Thursday, pushing back against what he called misinformation from community leaders following controversial charges against a Spanish-language journalist.
Taylor sat down with Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson for a one-on-one interview before holding a news conference to address transparency concerns about his office’s relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“There’s a level of irresponsibility going on here when you have leaders that like to stroke fear surrounding immigration,” Taylor said.
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The concerns among some were amplified after local charges were filed against Mario Guevara, who was arrested in June while covering a DeKalb County protest and transferred to ICE custody.
Three days later, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office filed traffic charges against him for an alleged May incident where he recorded undercover deputies while driving. Those charges were later dropped.
The timing raised suspicions among some advocacy groups.
Several lawmakers and community leaders held a news conference on Monday to ask for more clarity about the level of ICE cooperation in general.
“We had probable cause to make an arrest on this person and we did,” said Taylor. “The immigration status of this person has nothing to do with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.”
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Taylor said Guevara may have compromised undercover operations by posting information online.
“When you post this information, you’re putting my deputies at risk. You’re putting their families at risk of exposure,” Taylor said.
The sheriff emphasized his office cooperates with ICE but within limits.
“Yes, we do cooperate with ICE on criminal cases,” he said. “We do not go out with ICE on immigration raids or go into a place pulling cars over or going out with crowds or anything such as that.”
Taylor, who eliminated the 287(g) program after taking office, said he opposed Georgia House Bill 1105 but must follow state law.
“I’m not a fan of 1105, but the bill got passed. My job now is to enforce the law,” Taylor said.
Chief Deputy Cleo Atwater said misinformation can prevent criminals linked to sensitive child exploitation cases from being arrested.
“It stops victims from calling us. It stops the work that the TRACE Unit has been highly successful for the last four and a half years,” Atwater said.
Taylor acknowledged community fears while emphasizing his role and emphasizing the importance of trust in the community.
“We enforce the law, not stroke fear,” he said.
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