http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/reg ... st=orlocal

Umatilla County sheriff asks Mex. government to pay for prisoners 2/14/2006, 4:41 p.m. PT The Associated Press

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Umatilla County Sheriff John Trumbo has sent Mexico's president a bill for $318,843 — the cost of jailing 360 Mexicans last year.

Trumbo says the government of Mexico ought to pay for the room and board of its citizens in the county jail.

U.S. taxpayers "have to pay for housing these guys in the jail; they have to pay for the courts, the prosecution and the defense," Trumbo told The East Oregonian newspaper of Pendleton.

"Somebody has just got to say, 'enough is enough,'"

Fernando Sanchez, general consul for the Mexican government in Oregon, said Tuesday he believed that Mexican President Vicente Fox would respond to the letter. He also said Trumbo's analysis was too limited.

"My view is that he's not taking note of the economic contribution of the workers there in Umatilla County, which is significant," Sanchez said.

He said Mexican workers boost the economy of an agricultural region such as Umatilla County, raising the value of farms and ranches, adding retail purchasing power and increasing county tax revenue.

In the letter he mailed to Fox last week, Trumbo argued that "each time an illegal immigrant from Mexico was booked into our jail, we were forced to release local prisoners to make bed space available to your citizens."

Trumbo, as an example, cited Juan Carlos Solis, 25, of Mexico, who has been in jail since December 2004, when he was accused of murder and robbery in a home invasion.

Trumbo said he doubts he'll receive a check, but hopes his point will be heard in both Mexico and the United States.

"The public needs to be educated about what the cost is," he said. "It's not just a local problem, but it's happening all over the United States."

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican whose district includes Umatilla County, told the newspaper that there's a problem at the border and the sheriff "makes a valid point" about the financial burden. He praised Trumbo's efforts as "both a creative and effective way to draw attention to a problem that is costing local taxpayers and local government an extraordinary amount of resource."

Trumbo said he wants to make it clear he has no issue with the law-abiding Hispanic population in Umatilla County and those who gain legal immigration status.

"I have no problem with those who come here legally," Trumbo said. "We have a real nice Hispanic population here who work hard and pay their taxes."

___

Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.info