Posted on 07/08/2004 12:25:58 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
As much as 25 percent of inmate population are criminal illegal immigrants
By Troy Anderson
Staff Writer
Currently, the federal Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has only three officers assigned to county jails to determine if a foreign-born inmate is a convicted or previously deported criminal alien. "The plus for us is we look at this as a force multiplier,' Kevin Jeffery, an ICE deputy special agent-in-charge, said Tuesday. "The Sheriff's Department is looking at training six individuals. Once these six people have successfully completed their courses, we will have increased our staff by 200 percent.'
Sheriff's officials estimate about a quarter of the 170,000 inmates who cycle through the jail system each year are illegal immigrants. If all those inmates were properly screened, officials estimate they could recommend the deportation of up to 40,000 of them.
"Our best estimate is we are only touching 10-12 percent of that population,' Jeffery said.
Recent studies have shown that criminal aliens place a large burden on the local criminal justice system.
"Criminal illegal aliens are currently costing county taxpayers more than $150 million a year and make up more than 25 percent of our jail population,' said Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
But some immigrant advocacy groups oppose Baca's proposal, saying the county jails are already understaffed and overcrowded and that requiring sheriff's personnel to spend time doing federal agents' jobs will only increase the county workload.
"It also sets a bad precedent,' said Greg Simons, the immigrant and citizenship project director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. "It allows local law enforcement officers to enforce federal laws, which could open up a Pandora's box for other sorts of federal (agreements).'
Sheriff's Correctional Services Division Chief Charles Jackson said the proposed agreement won't cost the department any extra money and will use existing personnel.
"Currently, they ask about 40 questions,' Jackson said. "Once trained by ICE, maybe they will ask 50 questions.'
The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the proposed agreement Tuesday.
Sounds good to me, think of all the money we will save on feeding them and what not.... Prisons and Jails are not cheap to run. Although, how much will it cost us to deport them...?
Most of the idiot supervisors are illegal alien apologists. Antonovich is the only one with a brain.
Yet another consequence of our porous borders.
Yeah, what a bad precedent, punishing criminals. Deporting alien criminals! My God, you are cutting into the livelihood of every "non-profit" Greg Simons who makes his upper-middle-class living as an enabler for criminals.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Perhaps I misread the article but what I understood it to be, is a propoasal to send people convicted of crimes (theft, robbery, drugs, assault) back to Mexico instead of making them serve their sentences.
"The problem is that, when we release them (the majority in Mexico), they pop right back over the border free to commit more crimes. We are literally jailing foreigners in order to keep them from hurting us again.
Yet another consequence of our porous borders."
Good point!
I was about to agree with it until I read your post.
UHHH!!!! What's the alternative? Abeting and aiding the breaking of Federal Law????
In any case, the Federal has decided to take responsibility for securing borders, and hence Sheriffs are right to impose this responsibility and NOT TO HAVE TO SUBSIDISE THE FEDS OF IT!!!
IF NOT SECEDING WOULD BE A LEGAL OPTION - A HOLES!!!!
Probably what they are searching for, a Balkanized America.
No, that would be a get out of jail free card and absolutely send the wrong message. The Country simply does not want them released back into the community after their sentence is up. Completely sensible, prudent, legal and responsible to the public trust, unless of course you are a liberal then such a system represents a clear and present danger to your power base.
No way ... they might be future Bush voters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.