ICE tracks illegals in jail
Sharon Strauss

Saturday, July 19th, 2008
Process can deport immigrants arrested on local charges Federal immigration agents visit the Canyon County jail almost daily.

Last year 618 individuals — about 12 a week — stayed in the jail on an immigration hold. That accounts for about 7.5 percent of the total number of inmates booked into the detention center last year.
Number of removals by country in 2008

Mexico 138,190

Honduras 17,496

Guatemala 17,276

El Salvador 13,083

Dominican Republic 2,496

Brazil 2,464

Colombia 1,672

Ecuador 1,581

Nicaragua 1,506

Jamaica 1,022

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cover 44 jails in Idaho.

Criminal alien program agents question immigrants charged with crimes on the local level to determine their legal status. ICE officials also determine the benefits those in custody are entitled to and answer questions inmates have about their options.

Inmates often choose to appear before an immigration judge while others volunteer to be returned to their country of origin after their local criminal case has been closed.The face of one immigrantDaniel Villasenor is a 20-year-old Caldwell resident smuggled into the country illegally from Mexico three years ago.

Since then he’s learned English. On Friday, he requested that an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent conduct an interview at the Canyon County jail in English. Villasenor was taken into custody Monday and faces charges of failure to appear for a prior court date for driving without a license.

On Friday an ICE agent questioned him about his background, advised him of his rights and informed him of the options he has in regard to his immigration status. He chose to appear before an immigration judge once his local case is closed.Illegal immigrant explains why he cameDaniel Villasenor , 20, attended Caldwell High School and is taking GED classes through Boise State University. He’s also living in the United States illegally.

In an interview at the Canyon County jail on Friday, he said he has earned $14 an hour doing stucco work for a construction company. He’s behind bars facing a charge of failure to appear for a prior court date for driving without a license.

Villasenor’s family members live in Caldwell. He is the only one in his family, he said, who remains undocumented.

Idaho Press-Tribune reporter Sharon Strauss interviewed Villasenor at the jail. Here are questions and answers from that discussion.

Q. What did you go through to get here today?

A. When I came in I walked for, like, five hours. And then we got caught one time (by) immigration. And then they took us back to Mexico. We tried again and then they took us to Phoenix. And then from Phoenix to Idaho.

Q. Did you pay a smuggler to get you in?

A. Yeah, $2,000.

Q. How long did it take you to save that kind of money?

A. Like, one year.

Q. What kind of plans did you have for yourself when you came to the U.S.?

A. I just wanted to go to school and work and try to be legal here. That’s it.

Q. How old were you when you left Mexico?

A. I was 17.

Q. What reasons did you have for leaving?

A. I didn’t have family over there. They are all here.

Q. Your family has legal residency here?

A. Yes.

Q. Do you still aspire to get your residency?

A. Yeah.

Q. How would your life be different if you had your residency?

A. I’ll be happy if that happens.

Q. Do you have any family left in Mexico?

A. Just one sister.

Q. If you had to go back what would you do?

A. I don’t know. I’d try to come back here, I guess.

Q. Do you feel like you have any future if you went back to Mexico?

A. I don’t think so. Here I can go to school and work. And in Mexico I’m not even going to go to school over there and there’s no work over there, no job, nothing.How the process works

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s criminal alien program process starts at the local level at booking with a question about origin of birth. Agents come to the Canyon County jail almost daily.

“We don’t just bring in every Sanchez or Garcia,â€