Illegal Immigrants Cost Yakima County Jail Millions


By Ryan Simms

The jail cost for housing illegal immigrants is millions of dollars every year.

Story Published: Jun 1, 2011 at 6:23 PM PDT


YAKIMA COUNTY -- The jail cost for housing illegal immigrants is millions of dollars every year.

It's a staggering number. Last year, taxpayers forked over more than $2 million to house illegal immigrants at the Yakima County Jail.

527 undocumented inmates passed through the jail; 150 more than just a few years earlier. Jail workers tell KIMA more undocumented immigrants are accused of violent crimes, meaning longer stays and higher costs.

It's typical for a murder suspect to be in the jail for longer than a year.

In 2010, it cost more than $2.3 million to house illegal immigrants. Through an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the jail does get reimbursed, but only for the last three days an undocumented defendant is behind bars. The rest comes from taxes.

It's important to keep in mind those numbers are just for housing costs. They don't include things like medical treatment, food, and clothing. When you add those things to the total, you could be talking about an extra half million dollars in taxpayer money.

Record keeping is another huge expense.

At the end of June, Yakima County will be joining the "Secure Community" project, a software program that tracks which inmates are here illegally, by running fingerprints through a federal database.

That could free up several jailers, and if successful, thousands in taxpayer dollars.

This year, the Yakima County Jail expects federal reimbursements to total only $150,000.

It's a mere fraction of what you're spending each year to house those who are in this country illegally and committing crimes.

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