Thread: 39 prisoners on fast track to deportation

INMATES TRANSFER EARLY IN COST-SAVING EFFORT

39 prisoners on fast track to deportation

Brian J. Pedersen Arizona Daily Star
Saturday, February 6, 2010 12:00 am

Thirty-nine non-violent criminal aliens, as the Department of Corrections classifies them, were transferred from the state prison complex south of Tucson to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Phoenix.

The move was part of a mandate from Gov. Jan Brewer to ease prison congestion and save money.

The prisoners, all men from Mexico, had been convicted in Arizona of crimes such as drug possession, burglary and auto theft, and were within 90 days of their scheduled release dates, deputy director Charles Flanagan said.

The men would have been transferred to ICE at the end of their sentences, Flanagan said. But in December Brewer ordered the Department of Corrections to move deportation-eligible prisoners earlier.

About 50 Phoenix-area prisoners were transferred to ICE last week, Department of Corrections spokesman Barrett Marson said.

The departure of the Tucson busload, made up of prisoners that had been housed throughout Southern Arizona, will save the state about $2,500 per day, Flanagan said. Their average remaining term was 73 days, translating to a savings of more than $180,000.

"These are people for whom the federal government has responsibility," Flanagan said. "We had assumed that responsibility."

Flanagan said about 15 percent of the roughly 42,000 prisoners in the state system are criminal aliens and eligible for the early transfer. It is expected up to 1,000 of them will be transferred to ICE within the next 18 months, he said.

Once in the hands of ICE the inmates' deportation eligibility will be reviewed by a federal judge before a decision is made on whether they are to return to Mexico, ICE spokesman Vincent Picard said.

Approximately 80 percent of such inmates transferred to ICE from Arizona have been deported within 24 hours, he said.

Inmates deemed not eligible for deportation will be sent back to the state prison to complete their sentences, Flanagan said.

Despite the presence of armed guards, arm and leg shackles and several rounds of frisking, the inmates transferred Friday appeared to be in good spirits, said Flanagan, who chatted in Spanish with some of them before they boarded the bus.

"Most of these guys are very happy to be released," Flanagan said. "They know it means they're going to be processed back to their home country a lot more quickly than they normally would be."

Contact reporter Brian J. Pedersen at bjp@azstarnet.com or call 573-4224.

http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/cri ... e86aa.html

It is great that immigration has people in the jails. This helps to help them get deported. I have been monitoring the Collier County Who's in Jail web page on a daily basis and it doesn't surprise to see all those driving without a valid license and using fake ID. What does surprise is how many claim to be unemployed.

At this time the Broward County Jail has 27 with immigration holds and that is just for the last month. What is interesting is that the Hispanics are the minority in those holds. So much for La Razas whining.
The Dade County jail does not have access to those numbers but I am sure it would be alot higher.

I remember years ago, there were so many Haitians coming illegally to work the sugar fields. On the west coast it was mostly Hispanics in the tomato fields and plant nurseries. I am certain it will be hard to hear English in Immokalee still these days.
We also had a swarm of Europeans, mostly Germans, who came and bought up everything they could. Those with money came legally, but most "looking for a better life" came as tourists, hoping to marry a rich American and never left.
Florida does not have enough water to support everyone pouring in here and setting up permanent residence and dropping an anchor baby to ensure they won't get deported, because that would be "inhumane."