Thread: Los Angeles: Illegal immigrants who return after deportation

Illegal immigrants who return after deportation commit more crimes, study finds

In L.A. County, 75% of inmates who reenter the U.S. engage in more criminal activity within a year. The rate is less for illegal immigrants who have never been ordered to leave.

By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 8, 2008
Illegal immigrants who have been deported at least once from the United States are far more likely than other immigrants to repeatedly commit crimes, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corp.

The data indicated that illegal immigrants, overall, were not a greater crime risk, according to the study, which looked at all inmates released from Los Angeles County Jail for a month in 2002.


But among those who previously had been deported, reentered the U.S. and were arrested and released from jail, nearly 75% went on to commit another crime within a year. And 28% were arrested three or more times during the one-year period.

The recidivism rate was much lower for illegal immigrants who had not been previously deported, with 32% of those inmates being rearrested within a year and 7% arrested three or more times during that year.

Since the data were collected in 2002, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has overhauled screening for illegal immigrants and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poured resources into border security. But researchers said the analysis still could have public policy implications for L.A. County and other counties around the nation.


"If you are trying to target people who are repeatedly cycled through the criminal justice system, this looks like a good risk marker," said author Laura Hickman, a researcher at Portland State University. "It doesn't make sense to just sweep up all deportable aliens, but to focus resources on the group who are at the most risk for committing new crimes in the community."

The authors acknowledged that the study was limited because they couldn't determine the immigration status of many of the inmates and others may have falsely claimed U.S. birth. As a result, the study limited its analysis to 517 male illegal immigrants released from Los Angeles County jails between Aug. 4 and Sept. 2, 2002.

Law enforcement authorities said the report, published online this summer in the journal Crime & Delinquency, underscores their ongoing efforts to target illegal immigrants who have been ordered deported or removed from the United States. But L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca said the report also shows that the federal government needs to do more to stop criminals from sneaking back across the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Criminals who are illegal immigrants know no limits and no boundaries," he said. "The harder we make it for them to get across, the better."

The Los Angeles County Jail began working with federal immigration agents in 2006 to screen foreign-born inmates for possible deportation and have screened more than 20,000 inmates since then. This summer, the Sheriff's Department received $500,000 in county funds to expand the number of staff members conducting the interviews.

Lt. Kevin Kuykendall said the program tries to reach all illegal immigrants but places a priority on gang members, serious criminals and those who have previously been deported. Nevertheless, Kuykendall said, deported immigrants often end up back in Los Angeles -- and often back in the jails.

"If they were here illegally and involved in criminality, just deporting them may not be that much of a deterrent from coming back and continuing on in their criminal ways," he said. "We need to look at prosecuting them for coming [back] across the border."

The U.S. attorney's office is doing just that. From October 2007 through June, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles had prosecuted nearly 500 illegal immigrants who returned to the U.S. after being deported, with most of the defendants receiving sentences of between three and five years. Such cases make up about one-third of all federal prosecutions in Los Angeles County and surrounding counties.

"This study appears to confirm our belief that our practice of prosecuting criminal aliens has a direct effect on protecting the residents of our district," said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. "We are doing what we can to address this demonstrated threat by prosecuting these recidivists and locking them up in federal prison."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has pursued immigrants with criminal records who have returned after being deported, posting agents in some U.S. attorney's offices in key cities to help with the cases of such offenders.

The agency also recently rolled out a program to put a "virtual" Immigration and Customs presence in all jails and prisons by linking local law enforcement departments with federal databases. And in "fugitive sweeps" in communities across the country, agents have arrested illegal immigrants with criminal records and those who had returned after deportation or received final deportation orders. Such efforts are helping to take "dangerous criminals off the street" and send a deterrent message, agency spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.

Between Oct. 1, 2007, and Aug. 4, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported nearly 265,700 illegal immigrants nationwide, including about 83,700 criminals. Almost 17,600 illegal immigrants, including 6,400 criminals, were deported from Los Angeles County and the surrounding counties.

"This study underscores why criminal aliens, and in particular those who have been previously deported, are a top ICE enforcement priority," Kice said. "These are individuals who have shown no respect for our laws and our borders."

Baca said the recidivism discussed in the study costs Los Angeles County millions of dollars that should be the responsibility of the federal government.

"We spend an enormous amount of resources and money chasing down illegal immigrant criminals and processing them through our system and then deporting them and then having them come back," Baca said. "Local government should not bear the burden of criminals who are illegal immigrants."

www.latimes.com

California voters alert!
There are 3 bills passed by our California State Senate and is only waiting for the Govenor signature. 1st sb 60 giving drivers license to illegal immigrates. 2nd sb 160 giving student financial aide to illegal immigrates. 3rd is ab 2076 prohibiting e-verify for cities county and state. Please goto www.sen.ca.gov check on legislation and type in bill.Please contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ph# nine one six 4452841 . Thank-you for your support!

Any illegal invader who is arrested should be deported! Every illegal invader has comitted at least one crime by entering this country in violation of our immigration laws. Being arrested for another crime would indicate they are a repeat offender and should be deported!

At least the LA Times ran a story that indicates some truth regarding their beloved ilegal invaders. However, perhaps the criminal activity rate is less for illegal immigrants who have never been ordered to leave, simply because they have never been officially caught and arrested.

Virtually every illegal invader in this country is forced to break numerous laws in order just to remain and make money in this country. Every illegal invader that hold s a job in this country is breaking the law. This list goes on and on..

Study proves illegals likely to commit crimes
75% of previously deported aliens will break law within 1 year of returning to U.S.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: September 09, 2008
10:12 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A new study reveals 75 percent of illegal aliens who have been deported will commit another crime within a year of returning to the U.S.

The nonprofit Rand Corporation study followed inmates released from Los Angeles County jail in 2002, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The report revealed aliens who have been deported are far more likely to commit a crime – with 28 percent likely to be arrested three or more times after their release.

Thirty-two percent of illegal aliens who had never been deported were arrested within a year, and 7 percent were arrested more than three times.

While the information reaches as far back as 2002, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security have stepped up efforts to prevent illegal aliens from returning and committing more crimes.

"If you are trying to target people who are repeatedly cycled through the criminal justice system, this looks like a good risk marker," author Laura Hickman, a researcher at Portland State University, told the Times. "It doesn't make sense to just sweep up all deportable aliens, but to focus resources on the group who are at the most risk for committing new crimes in the community."

While researchers admitted the findings were limited due to inability to confirm the residency status of every prisoner, they followed 517 male illegal aliens between Aug. 4 and Sept. 2, 2002.

L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca told the Times the government must make more of an effort to keep illegal alien offenders from coming back into the U.S.

"Criminals who are illegal immigrants know no limits and no boundaries," he said. "The harder we make it for them to get across, the better."


The jail has collaborated with immigration authorities since 2006 to search out illegal aliens. Lt. Kevin Kuykendall told the Times their most important priority is finding gang members and hard-core criminals who have previously been deported. However, he said, after they've been kicked out, they often come back to Los Angeles and end up in jail again.

"If they were here illegally and involved in criminality, just deporting them may not be that much of a deterrent from coming back and continuing on in their criminal ways," he said. "We need to look at prosecuting them for coming [back] across the border."

According to the report, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles has prosecuted 500 illegals who came back after being deported from October 2007 through June. One-third of all federal prosecutions in surrounding counties are for repeat offenders. Most go to jail for three to five years.

U.S. attorney's office spokesman Thom Mrozek said capturing dangerous illegals is necessary to keep citizens safe.

"This study appears to confirm our belief that our practice of prosecuting criminal aliens has a direct effect on protecting the residents of our district," he said. "We are doing what we can to address this demonstrated threat by prosecuting these recidivists and locking them up in federal prison."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has implemented "virtual" programs in jails by providing local law enforcement with federal databases. The agency deported approximately 265,700 illegals across the country between October and August 2007. ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said "fugitive sweeps" are necessary to take dangerous criminals off the streets.

"This study underscores why criminal aliens, and in particular those who have been previously deported, are a top ICE enforcement priority," she said. "These are individuals who have shown no respect for our laws and our borders."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php? ... geId=74787