More than 1,000 illegal immigrants in Ore. state prisons

More than 1,000 illegal immigrants in Ore. state prisons

08/21/2007

Associated Press

Presumed illegal immigrants comprise about 7 percent of the population in Oregon's state prisons, statistics show.

Of the 13,300 inmates, more than 1,000 have federal immigration "detainers," meaning they will likely be deported after serving their sentences, The Oregonian newspaper reported following a review of state records.

The issue of crime committed by illegal immigrants has gained attention in Oregon this month with the arrest of two men in the death of Dani Countryman, a 15-year-old girl strangled after a party in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie. Neither of the accused — Alejandro Rivera Gamboa and Gilberto Javier Arellano Gamboa — is a U.S. citizen.

Illegal immigrants were also allegedly involved in the execution-style slayings of three college students at a New Jersey playground, a case that has attracted much national exposure.

Some people caution that such high-profile events should not be used to typecast the illegal immigrant community. Statistics show that 0.6 percent of the estimated 175,000 unauthorized immigrants in Oregon are in the state prison system. The remaining prison population represents 0.3 percent of the state population.

Randy Blazak, associate professor of sociology with Portland State University, contends that the numbers show that illegal immigrants are not responsible for a disproportionate amount of violence.

"We must remember not to generalize a group of people based on the actions of an individual," he said.

But Jim Ludwick, president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform, said he thinks the figures underestimate the number of unauthorized immigrants in state prisons. Even if they are accurate, he said, 7 percent is still a problem.

"If illegal aliens weren't in our country in the first place, those crimes wouldn't be occurring," Ludwick said. "It wouldn't eliminate crime. But we've got enough homegrown rapists and murderers. We don't need to import more."

___

Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com

http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStor ... 9UFG0.html

(comment: Oregon, you haven't seen anything yet)