Thread: OK: Illegal aliens jam up the jail

http://www.sequoyahcountytimes.com/arti ... afront.txt

Illegal aliens jam up the jail
BY SALLY MAXWELL, MANAGING EDITOR

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 1:30 PM CST

County officials are becoming concerned about the cost of housing illegal immigrants arrested in the county and held in the Sequoyah County Jail.

Christine Calbert, jail administrator, reported to the Sequoyah County Criminal Justice Authority, which oversees jail operations, that the county had 29 illegal immigrants in the county jail as of Monday.

"Is there no way to bill anybody?" Calbert asked authority members.

She noted that it costs, on average, $22 per day to hold a person in the county jail. That does not include medical attention or medicines if needed, she explained. Consequently the 29 illegal immigrants in the county jail are costing county residents $638 a day. If they get sick, the cost will go up.

Sheriff Johnny Philpot said holding the illegal immigrants "is becoming a burden."

Sequoyah County was the first county to arrest illegal immigrants, most from Mexico, under the state's new law, HB 1804, passed last year. House Bill 1804, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007, went into effect in November and takes a hard stance on immigration. The new law restricts the ability of illegal immigrants to obtain legal government identification or public assistance. It also gives police the authority to enforce federal immigration laws. The law also makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to knowingly provide shelter, transportation or employment to illegal immigrants.


Sequoyah County was the first under the new state law to arrest suspected illegal immigrants, on Jan. 7 when eight laborers were arrested south of Sallisaw. Calbert said those first eight were held in the county jail from Jan. 7 through 18, when they were turned over to agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office out of Dallas.

The eight men were housed in the county jail for 12 days, at a cost of $2,112, based on Calbert's average. As the first arrests under the new state law, the incarcerations gained the county some fame, but did not bring the county any money to pay for the incarcerations.

Now the county has 29 illegal immigrants in custody after two investigations over the past week.

John Bennett, illegal immigration liaison officer with District 27 Drug Task Force and the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office, with the help of the Vian Police Department, took 16 illegal immigrants into custody on the afternoon of Feb. 7.

Vian Police Chief Danny Hoover and Officer Joey Oliver stopped a 1995 Chevrolet Suburban for a defect, but also noticed the vehicle was overcrowded. The Vian officers found 16 people in the car, including four females, two of whom were 14 and 16.

The officers also found that none had a valid driver's license. They called Bennett who took the men and women into custody. The two juvenile females were placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services.

On Sunday, Bennett arrested another 14 illegal immigrants just off Interstate 40 near Sallisaw, Philpot said. One of those tried to run and was chased down by Bennett and taken into custody near Ed's Truck Stop it was reported.

Philpot said at the jail authority meeting Monday that law enforcement cannot not arrest illegal immigrants.

"We have to do what the law says," Philpot said. "We don't go out and look for them (illegal immigrants), but when we are informed by people who have seen illegal immigrants then we check it out."

Philpot said enforcing the law is also causing an odd domino affect. If illegal immigrants are not arrested in Sequoyah County, then others may be attracted here. If they are arrested and removed from the county, it may discourage incoming illegal immigrants, and cause them to go to other areas, which then face the same law enforcement and incarceration problems Sequoyah County does.

DA WILL SEEK FUNDS

District Attorney Jerry Moore was at the authority meeting and said he would see if he could find money to help take the burden of feeding and housing illegal immigrants off the county.

"It is an unfunded mandate by the state," he said. "The state did this, the public wanted this, and in one way or another, you have to pay for it."

State Sen. Kenneth Corn (D-Poteau) and State Rep. Glen "Bud" Smithson (D-Sallisaw) said there is no money on the table for the incarceration of illegal immigrants during this legislative session.

"I would love to give them some money, but there isn't any," Smithson said.

Corn said county jail and law enforcement officials should be notifying ICE personnel to take charge of illegal immigrants, thus putting them in the care of Federal money.

"There is some federal funds available for this," Corn said, "but there is not enough to go around."

But Calbert said the county, in most cases, is pretty much stuck with the illegal immigrants for at least four days after arrest.

She said that ICE has 48 hours to determine if all those in custody are illegal immigrants.

Those arrested last week and over the weekend are all illegal, she confirmed.

ICE personnel then also have the option of another 48-hour waiting period to determine if any of those in custody have felony records.

That's why the 29 illegal immigrants are still in the county jail - federal officials are determining if they are felons.

FEDERAL AGENCY RETURNS ALIENS

Carl Rusnok, spokesman for the ICE office in Dallas, said many conditions control the way an illegal immigrant is handled.

If that immigrant has no felony record, he or she "may be offered a voluntary return," that is a trip back to their country of origin with the understanding they are not to return. Those who do return are charged with a felony. Those who have warrants for their arrests or are already confirmed felons may face charges in the United States or, if they face no charges here, may be bused back to their own country.

Rusnok said ICE takes one bus a day from Dallas to the U.S.-Mexican border.

He said he wasn't sure but there may be some federal money available to reimburse local jails for the holding of illegal immigrants.

MANY HAVE FELONY RECORDS

Bennett has said in the past that most of those picked up as illegal immigrants do have felony records.

Bennett told the Vian Tenkiller News about those arrested in Vian, "more than one of these passengers had previous felony convictions ranging from drug transportation, vehicle theft, assault charges, receiving and or selling stolen property, disorderly conduct on a police officer and several others including child molestation.

"Most of these men not only had outstanding warrants for their arrests but had more than one alias too," Bennett said.

"We have to enforce the law and that's what we are here for, to protect the citizens of Sequoyah County," Bennett said. "One of the passengers in the Suburban made the comment that word was already out that Oklahoma was enforcing their new law and to not travel through our state. This shows that this new law is already working and that we are serious about illegal immigration."

Bennett said Wednesday morning that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrested two more illegal immigrants Monday. Bennett was traveling to Tulsa Thursday to discuss reimbursement programs with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. He said some law enforcement agencies, including the Tulsa County sheriff's office, are receiving money from the U.S. Department of Justice's State Criminal Aliens Assistance Program.

"Is there no way to bill anybody?" Calbert asked authority members.

She noted that it costs, on average, $22 per day to hold a person in the county jail. That does not include medical attention or medicines if needed, she explained. Consequently the 29 illegal immigrants in the county jail are costing county residents $638 a day. If they get sick, the cost will go up.

Sheriff Johnny Philpot said holding the illegal immigrants "is becoming a burden."

Bennett has said in the past that most of those picked up as illegal immigrants do have felony records.

Bennett told the Vian Tenkiller News about those arrested in Vian, "more than one of these passengers had previous felony convictions ranging from drug transportation, vehicle theft, assault charges, receiving and or selling stolen property, disorderly conduct on a police officer and several others including child molestation.

$22 per day per illegal immigrant is cheap when one considers the costs saved when illegal drugs not sold, vehicles not stolen, assaults not committed, stolen property not stolen, police officers not assaulted, and saving even one child from molestation and abuse.............

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence." Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-2956--0-0.html

Why are you holding them. So they can make bail and get out? Deport them now!!!

why cant we deduct it from the BILLIONS we send to Mexico that I'm sure is not used for what it is earmarked for?

Oh wait, we the American Taxpayer will keep paying for the ILLEGAL non-tax paying aliens and they will call us hateful and racist for not wanting ILLEGAL aliens here.