Posted on Mon, Jul. 28, 2008 Immigrant arrests swamp county jail
By DANIEL BROWNSTEIN - dbrownstein@islandpacket.com
BEAUFORT — Last weekend, the Beaufort County jail was packed, setting records for the most prisoners the county has held.

The detention center, opened in 1992, was designed to house 255 inmates.

Overcrowding is not a new issue at the jail. County officials have been talking about it for at least two years.

But lately the situation been exacerbated by a number of factors, including a tough economy and Operation Surge, the 90-day ICE operation.

Agents are identifying every suspected illegal immigrant booked at the jail — regardless of the severity of the crime — and placing “holdsâ€