Migrant Crackdown Fills Arizona Detention Center
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... on-ON.html
Migrant crackdown fills Ariz. detention center
Jacques Billeaud
Associated Press
Feb. 23, 2005 06:06 PM
ELOY - A space shortage at a southern Arizona detention center for illegal immigrants convicted of crimes has prompted officials to seek out inmates who don't want to fight their deportation and instead agree to be sent back home.
The shortage is fueled largely by an immigration crackdown at Arizona's border with Mexico, the busiest illegal entry point on the nation's southern border.
The change is credited with contributing to a record number of deportations last month of criminal aliens from Arizona's primary federal detention center for illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
"They want to go home and they know they have no claims (to stay)," said David Couchman, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official at the Eloy detention center.
More than any other state, Arizona has been dogged in recent years by a heavy flow of illegal immigrants. Arizona became a favored crossing point after the government tightened border enforcement in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego during the mid-1990s.
Last year, the U.S. Border Patrol began a buildup of agents and equipment at the Arizona-Mexico border, leading to a sharp rise in apprehensions and pushing some of the traffic to other states.
Federal authorities have had the power for several years to seek out inmates who don't want to fight their removal from the country.
But immigration judges were generally reluctant to take that approach until last summer, said Kimberley Shepherd, a deputy chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said she didn't know why judges their changed minds.
The new approach, while not used in all cases, reduces the time that criminal immigrants who have completed prison sentences will spend waiting for their deportation cases to be resolved, officials said.
In January, the Eloy detention center removed 766 immigrant criminals from the United States, compared to its previous record of 730 in July 2002.
The criminals sent back last month, most of whom were Mexican, were convicted of drug trafficking, sexual offenses, migrant smuggling and other crimes.
Phillip Crawford, field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention and removal operations in Arizona, said the detention center, which houses 1,500 immigrant criminals, needs all the space it can get.
"The pressure on our border continues to be heavy," Crawford said.
Migrant Crackdown Fills Arizona Detention Center
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... on-ON.html
Migrant crackdown fills Ariz. detention center
Jacques Billeaud
Associated Press
Feb. 23, 2005 06:06 PM
ELOY - A space shortage at a southern Arizona detention center for illegal immigrants convicted of crimes has prompted officials to seek out inmates who don't want to fight their deportation and instead agree to be sent back home.
The shortage is fueled largely by an immigration crackdown at Arizona's border with Mexico, the busiest illegal entry point on the nation's southern border.
The change is credited with contributing to a record number of deportations last month of criminal aliens from Arizona's primary federal detention center for illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
"They want to go home and they know they have no claims (to stay)," said David Couchman, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official at the Eloy detention center.
More than any other state, Arizona has been dogged in recent years by a heavy flow of illegal immigrants. Arizona became a favored crossing point after the government tightened border enforcement in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego during the mid-1990s.
Last year, the U.S. Border Patrol began a buildup of agents and equipment at the Arizona-Mexico border, leading to a sharp rise in apprehensions and pushing some of the traffic to other states.
Federal authorities have had the power for several years to seek out inmates who don't want to fight their removal from the country.
But immigration judges were generally reluctant to take that approach until last summer, said Kimberley Shepherd, a deputy chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said she didn't know why judges their changed minds.
The new approach, while not used in all cases, reduces the time that criminal immigrants who have completed prison sentences will spend waiting for their deportation cases to be resolved, officials said.
In January, the Eloy detention center removed 766 immigrant criminals from the United States, compared to its previous record of 730 in July 2002.
The criminals sent back last month, most of whom were Mexican, were convicted of drug trafficking, sexual offenses, migrant smuggling and other crimes.
Phillip Crawford, field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention and removal operations in Arizona, said the detention center, which houses 1,500 immigrant criminals, needs all the space it can get.
"The pressure on our border continues to be heavy," Crawford said.
