Illegal immigrant inmates ready for deportation




July 22, 2009 1:05 PM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State prison officials say nearly two dozen illegal immigrant inmates serving time in Oklahoma will be deported this week under the provisions of a new state law.

Officials say 23 inmates meet the requirements under the Criminal Illegal Alien Rapid Repatriation Act of 2009.

Inmates eligible for deportation must be imprisoned for a nonviolent offense and already have served at least one-third of their prison sentence.

Prison officials say a total of 181 inmates currently meet the criteria for deportation. So far, 32 have been turned over to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The House author of the bill says he estimates the program could save the state more than $3 million in incarceration costs in the current fiscal year.

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