Whitfield County Sheriff's Office

A petition is calling for the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office to cut ties with ICE.

Supporters and the Sheriff respond.

Local activists are demanding a change within the whitfield county sheriff's office.

News 12's joeli poole has the details from both sides of the story.

The nowrthwest georgia justice coalition in whitfield county is calling on sheriff scott chitwood to make a change within their sheriff's office.

Activists are asking the sheriff's office to end their partnership with the federal immigration enforcement officers otherwise known as ice.

Sheriff chitwood says he is aware of the protest and he stands by the 287 program.

Sheriff scott chitwood "every law enforcement in the state of georgia and tennessee has access to ice.

So if we pull the plug on the 287 program, ice is just a phone call away.

So, thats what it is for; to remove the criminal element to make our communities safer.

If you are not violating the law it does not effect you."

Activist say the minority community makes up a very large portion of whitfield counties population and the program tears families apart and they feel their community is unrepresented.

Omar rodriguez "we would like to sit down with him and basically tell him he's wrong in not wanting to end it.

If he wants to represent the community as a whole , he needs to listen to the community as a whole.

He needs to see our concerns and listen to us."

Sheriff chitwood says they have had over 47 nationalities come through the county jail and no specific ethnicity is targeted by ice.

The activist group plans to hold a peacful sit in protest at the whitfield county sheriff office on saturday june 27th.

Joeli poole " activist are calling this protest a sit in because they plan to be there for a very long time.

Community members are encouraged to come out and write personalized letters to sheriff chitwood explaining their experience with ice and why they would like to see a change within the community."

The group is also hosting a communtiy food drive earlier saturday afternoon.

For more information on the petition go to wdef dot com in whitfield county, joeli poole, news 12 now.

The sheriff says 2-87 only affects people in jail for breaking the law.

They can then can run your name through