NORMAN PARK, Ga. — Immigration agents were in the county for the second time in about seven months, but this time their only targets were two men, one a convicted child molester and the other out on bond on the same charge.

On Thursday, a Norman Park man filed a missing person report for two men, 31 and 21 years old.

The man told police that the two Norman Park men had not shown up for work. Police later learned from one of the men’s wife that they left for work between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.

The Pontiac Grand Am they were in later was found on the side of the road on Railroad Street. The keys were in it. Norman Park police noticed the car at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday.

“They were picked up by INS (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service),” said Sgt. Chris Robinson, an investigator with the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office. “Apparently INS came to town and they picked up a few.”

On Wednesday Colquitt County Sheriff Rod Howell told The Observer that only two men were taken into custody in Colquitt County. The agency also made arrests in at least two other cities — Cairo and Thomasville.

“They were looking for one person that was convicted for child molestation and on probation,” Howell said. “One was out on bond for a child molestation (charge). They are the only two I know of.”

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to the county

 in mid-September 2017 they also were seeking immigrants with criminal records. At the time Howell heard from some farmers who had employees arrested by the officers.

Some 10 to 12 people were taken into custody during that action, Howell said, based on what he learned and reports from four farmers who had some of their workers swept up.

One or two of those individuals reportedly had been convicted on violent offenses. The remainder had convictions for such crimes as driving under the influence and multiple no-license violations.

Last year Hispanics were targeted by armed robbers over several months, and Howell’s office has tried to convince the community that it is safe to report crimes.

The sheriff’s office does not report arrests to federal authorities.

However, when someone is arrested his or her fingerprints go into a computer database that INS can access. If the agency finds that the fingerprints match those of someone it is looking for, it can place a hold on the individual to pick up later.

Howell has said that he does not want migrants to be afraid that they will be turned over to federal agents if they report crimes.

“I speak to as many Hispanic people as I can to tell them our job is not to enforce immigration (laws), and if they’re victims of a crime they need to report it, and we’re going to do our best to solve crimes,” he said.

The child molestation conviction case that brought federal agents to the county did not occur in the county, according to the Colquitt County Superior Court office.

Neither of the men’s names appear on the Georgia Department of Corrections listing of convicted criminals, nor are they on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s list of sex offenders.

Inmates’ names only go online if the sentence received includes jail time, so a convicted felon who received probation would not appear on the site. The GBI’s web site includes registered sex offenders and offenders who have absconded.