Immigrant detainees could be valuable for Valley in 2010 census
June 22, 2010 12:54 AM
Jeremy Roebuck
The Monitor

Raymondville city leaders hope to see a significant bump in population when this year’s final Census tally comes in — but not because of a large crop of willing new residents or anyone who will still be in town when the next national count rolls around.

The inmate population of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center — built since the 2000 Census — will likely push this small agricultural community over the 10,000 residents mark this year.

And with an average daily population of 1,000 immigrant inmates from all over the country, the Willacy County Detention Center could expand the city’s total residency by more than 10 percent since the last national count.

But that threshold means more than just replacing the population count on signs marking city limits. It could make Raymondville eligible for millions of dollars more in federal funding and state grants, said Willacy County Judge Aurelio Guerra.

“The more population the better,â€