Criminal Alien Program Has No Impact on Jail, ICE Says

Tuesday, Aug 05, 2008 - 03:45 PM

By Holly Bounds
E-mail | Biography

A recent push to get illegal immigrants who commit crimes back to their countries has no impact on the overcrowding situation at the Beaufort County Detention Center, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The total capacity at the detention center is 255. Last Wednesday, 374 slept there. As of Friday, August 1st, 112 detainers had been lodged at the detention center as part of the ICE criminal alien program.

“ICE officers have 48 hours, not including weekends and federal holidays to act on these detainers. Our program does not have an impact on the local jail because those individuals that are arrested by local authorities are being arrested for criminal violations, not for immigration violations,â€