New Legislation Could Prevent Illegal Immigrants from Posting Bail

Last Edited: Wednesday, 31 Oct 2007, 10:26 PM MDT
Created: Wednesday, 31 Oct 2007, 9:24 PM MDT

By JOHN ROMERO, Reporter


DENVER - A law state house Republicans want to introduce next year would deny bond to illegal immigrants arrested for drunk driving, and other felonies. The plan already getting some bad reviews tonight from some surprising sources.

"If we hold people without bond, we're going to have more folks in the jail and we're going to have more overcrowding," Weld County DA Ken Buck told us today.

Buck has been an outspoken hard-liner on illegal immigration but today he spoke out again against the Republican plan. Undocumented immigrants make up up to one-fifth of the jail population in Weld County according to his estimates.

Weld County Sheriff John Cook says the jail can only turn over names of every foreign born inmate to federal immigration agents, and then wait to hear who really is illegal after all.

Bounty hunter James Ness says the problem is that foreign born suspects easily skip bond and flee the country. Ness is currently chasing Manuel Flores who allegedly molested a 9 year old girl, and then returned to Mexico.

"Basically it's free ticket, they come here, commit crimes, make as much money as they want, they're caught, they post a small bond, and they flee the country," Ness said.

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition called the plan a political ploy. A spokesman said there is no evidence immigrants increase crime rates, and that the law is possibly unconstitutional.

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