Thread: Cracks in immigrant reporting are sealed

Cracks in immigrant reporting are sealed

Clackamas County - A teenage girl's death leads authorities to report more foreign-born DUII suspects

• Clackamas County
Sunday, September 23, 2007
STEVE MAYES
The Oregonian Staff

Clackamas County criminal justice authorities reported more foreign-born drunken drivers to immigration authorities in the past month than in the previous 18 months combined.

The crackdown began Aug. 16, the day The Oregonian reported that authorities missed a chance to deport an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was convicted in November 2006 of driving drunk. Eight months later, Alejandro Rivera Gamboa and a cousin, also an illegal immigrant, were accused of killing 15-year-old Dani Countryman in Milwaukie.

"Once the issue got shown the light of day, everyone wanted to make sure we weren't slack on anything," said Mark Rasmussen, Clackamas County's top probation official.

Rasmussen's department sifted through approximately 700 DUII cases last month. The search found 62 foreign-born people who were not U.S. citizens and sent the names to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for review. During the previous 18 months, Rasmussen's office referred 47 DUII cases to the agency.

Many of those reported were in the country legally, but federal authorities determined that at least 10 were subject to deportation, Rasmussen said. Five were taken into custody, and five are wanted on federal warrants.

Clackamas County District Attorney John Foote said his office put a similar policy change into effect last week.

The county's tighter screening system, while not foolproof, makes it tougher for illegal immigrants to avoid detection.

At each stop of the law-and-order process -- the jail, prosecution and probation -- Clackamas County now reports foreign-born non-U.S. citizens to immigration authorities. Others who arouse suspicion -- no Social Security number, no permanent address and inability to speak English -- may also be flagged for review.

The policy changes in Clackamas County reflect public outrage over the Countryman killing and a new push by federal immigration authorities to enlist Oregon's jails in identifying those who violate immigration laws.

Crackdown spreads

A similar trend is emerging statewide.

Across Oregon, jails are making more referrals to immigration authorities, according to Dave Burright, Oregon State Sheriffs' Association executive director. "Jails should not be a sanctuary for people who illegally enter the country and commit crimes," he said.

In May, federal immigration authorities asked Oregon corrections officials to increase the reporting of suspected illegal immigrants booked into jails.

Oregon law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from actively looking for illegal immigrants, but the law does not stop police or prosecutors from reporting people after they're arrested.

This month, Marion County started reporting all foreign-born people booked into jail. "Our job is to let ICE know. Their job is to . . . determine if this person is in the country legally," said sheriff's office spokesman Deputy Kevin Rau.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office doesn't track referrals, but spokesman Sgt. David Thompson said the pace increased after the immigration agency asked for help. The number of Washington County inmates with immigration holds shifted upward during the summer, from about 45 per day in June to more than 90 this month.

Multnomah County plans to stick with a policy that's been in place for years, said sheriff's office spokesman Lt. Jason Gates. Jailers ask inmates where they were born and forward the names of foreign-born inmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement once a week, Gates said.

The response from Clackamas and Washington counties shows that Oregon took the immigration agency's request seriously, said Lorie Dankers, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.

"It makes a huge difference. Every person you take off the street who has a criminal record makes the community a safer place."

Within 12 months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement expects to have an agent assigned to every jail in Oregon. The closer ties between federal agents and local authorities should increase the number of illegal immigrants who are deported after serving their sentences, Dankers said.

The impact of stepped-up enforcement is hard to measure.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn't disclose how many referrals it gets from local law enforcement agencies that result in deportations. "We don't provide that information by specific county," Dankers said.

Busy times for agents

As Oregon jails, prosecutors and probation officers send more tips, federal agents face busy times.

"It's very labor intensive," Dankers said.

If Clackamas County had called when Alejandro Rivera Gamboa was booked on suspicion of drunken driving, Dankers said, "We would have responded or we'd tell them why."

Although the agency aims to respond to all calls, "We have to prioritize," she said. "If we receive 20 calls in one night, we're most interested in the rapist, the drug dealer."

With reports coming in from the jail, prosecutors and probation officers, there could be some double reporting, said Foote, the district attorney. "We're all probably going to err on the side of over-notification in the beginning."

Steve Mayes: 503-294-5916; stevemayes@news.oregonian.com

"With everybody taking a look at everybody they're involved with, it's less likely anyone will slip through," said Lt. Mike Alexander, a Clackamas County jail supervisor. "Everybody's doing a better job of reporting."

In June, the Clackamas County Jail reported six inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Last month, the jail turned in 30.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonia ... xml&coll=7

ILLLEGALS=CRIME

Good article. Let's hope other sheriiff's departments follow their lead.