Travis County Sheriff’s Twitter Trolling #Not1More Protesters

Feb 5, 2014
10:44 AM

This is nuts. Read the slideshow. It’s long, but it is quite telling.

 

 

By the way, a press release by #Not1More organizers was sent today:

Travis County Sheriff Trolls #Not1More Protestors on Twitter

Sheriff’s Online Comments Demonstrate His Misunderstanding of the 

Federal Deportation Program He Supports

(AUSTIN, Texas) — The official Twitter handle of Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton has been arguing with the anti-deportation protestors his deputies detained Monday.

The twitter exchanges began Tuesday when the Travis County Sheriff’s office, @TravisCoSheriff, tweeted the Austin Immigrants Rights Coalition, @AustinIRC. The AIRC tweeted their thanks to a supporter and vowed to continue their campaign to stop deportations out of Travis County.

That’s when @TravisCoSheriff responded using anti-immigrant language: “TCSO does not deport anyone. Only Feds can deport illegal immigrants.”

The Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition quickly responded and called out the Sheriff’s Office for calling people “illegal.” AIRC also provided screen shots of documents showing that Travis County can opt-out of S-Comm, including a letter from Congress that cited Department of Homeland Security officials’ statements that an ICE detainer is merely a request.

“The Travis County Sheriff’s office should stop hiding behind the excuse that he has no choice in this matter. This policy is voluntary, period.” said Alejandro Caceres, Executive Director of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition. “The sheriff should be working with our community to fix the deportation crisis in Travis County, instead of trolling us on Twitter.”

Caceres also points out that about 30 other cities, counties and states have taken action to limit cooperation with ICE officials. None have been sued by the federal government.

According to data from ICE, Travis County currently deports an average of 19 people per week, most with no prior criminal record. The local immigrant community wants the Travis County Sheriff’s office to revisit its policy and adopt a policy like that of 30 counties across the country including Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Washington D.C.

Caceres points to the Newark, NJ policy — which creates a bright line between local police and immigration officials — as a potential model for Travis County.

The entire dispute can be found at Twitter, @AustinIRC.