Two Cobb County police officers are facing a federal civil rights lawsuit. They are accused of arresting and beating of an unarmed Latino man. They were allegedly operating under a program that allows local officers to enforce federal immigration law.

Attorney Sam Brooke with the Southern Poverty Law Center says this case is not an isolated incident. He says the “287(g)” program is flawed and needs to be ended.

“What happened to Mr. Castro was horrible and tragic, but it is not unique," Brooke says. "And that is what we – with this lawsuit and others – are strategically trying to point to, to say this is not something we should tolerate in our society today.”

Brooke says the program has failed to protect against discrimination and abuse because of inadequate oversight of officers.

Cobb County has participated in the “287(g)” program since July 2007.

Tags: Georgia, politics, Cobb County, immigration, Department of Homeland Security, immigration enforcement, Civil Rights, Southern Poverty Law Center