Gwinnett joins fed program to weed out undocumented inmates ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Joining Cobb, Whitfield, and Hall, Gwinnett becomes the latest Georgia county to partner with the federal government to try and crack down on undocumented inmates.

Gwinnett Sheriff Butch Conway says the program will save millions, cut the crime rate, and discourage illegal immigrants from moving to the area.

CONWAY: We spend probably over 7 million dollars housing illegal aliens that have committed crimes and a lot of these hundreds are repeat offenders so if we can get them out of Gwinnett county and we don't have to book them in another five or six times, we save money and a lot of it.

Conway says the county is currently holding at least 400 inmates who are illegal immigrants.

The program, known as 287(g), will put more federal agents in county jails.

It'll also mean special training and new tools for local deputies to help identify undocumented inmates.

Critics say the program amounts to racial profiling but Sheriff Conway denies they're targeting the Hispanic community.

CONWAY: The only checkpoint we have is in the back door of the jail. People won't be asked on the street whether they're legal or not.

Conway estimates there are 60 to 70,000 illegal immigrants in Gwinnett.

For WABE, I'm Jonathan Shapiro. © Copyright 2012, WABE