http://www.startribune.com/462/story/884556.html

Last update: December 18, 2006 – 10:31 PM

No immigrant detainees in Ramsey County?
Even before recent raids, county officials were considering a move to no longer accept such prisoners.

By Jeffrey W. Peters, Star Tribune


In the aftermath of recent raids that left hundreds of alleged illegal immigrants confined in Minnesota jails awaiting immigration hearings, Ramsey County commissioners today will debate whether to continue housing such prisoners in the county jail.
Commissioner Rafael Ortega is expected to introduce a resolution that would end the practice of accepting federal contracts to house detainees seized in raids by immigration officials. No action is expected on the measure today, but canceling the federal contracts could cost the county about $1.7 million per year, said Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who said he supports Ortega's plan.

"It's a small statement Commissioner Ortega is making, but probably an important one," Fletcher said Monday.

Said Ortega: "I want to open up the discussion. What I'm trying to tell the federal government is that we as a county are not participating in a broken system."

Commissioner Tony Bennett said the board would listen to Ortega, but "I don't know what this does for immigration policy except make a point."

Fletcher said that although the recent raid in Worthington, Minn., puts a new spotlight on the immigration issue, he and Ortega had been discussing the county's role in caring for detainees since Maria Inamagua Merchan, a 30-year-old Ecuadorian woman, died after collapsing in the county jail. She had been held there for about two months while awaiting a deportation hearing.

The sheriff said immigrant detainees place unusual demands on the jail staff. "The jail wasn't built to house prisoners for long terms," he said.

Non-federal prisoners spend an average of four days in the jail, Fletcher said. Immigration detainees are held for an average of 100 days.

Language issues also loom large, according to Fletcher, who said the jail currently houses 53 detainees, who represent 12 languages and more than 30 countries. "We're not really prepared to translate, interpret and assist that kind of population," he said.

"The reason we have this dilemma is we have had a failed immigration policy for 15 to 20 years," Fletcher added. "If the feds want to begin enforcing this policy now, they probably need to build their own facility."