Thread: OR: Illegal immigrants held in jail for $95 a day

Illegal immigrants held in jail for $95 a day
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Story Published: Jun 5, 2008 at 5:41 PM PDT

By Kim Quintero
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EUGENE, Ore. - Illegal immigrants from all over the state are being housed in Lane County's jail, and taxpayers are footing the bill.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has teamed up with Lane County Sheriff's Office to jail illegal immigrants accused or convicted of crimes in Oregon, before proceeding through the deportation process.

The price tag: $95 a day.

These inmates have at least one thing in common. They're here illegally.

"Soy ilegal," said Mexican immigrant Guadalupe Villa-Rubio.

"My passport is expired," said Micronesian immigrant Darius Ludwig.

"I get deported in 2004. So I stay in Mexico for a while. After that, I come back," said Mexican immigrant Edgar Hernandez-Cortes.

Each are the target of ICE's Criminal Alien Program, an effort by federal authorities to remove all illegal immigrants who've been arrested or convicted.

"They've got a lot to lose. They're going to lose their ability to be in the United States and they're going to be removed, so they may choose to fight it and it can take four or five years," said Neil Clark, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It costs $95 a day to provide an inmate with food, shelter and medical supplies. Nationally, about 30,000 people are in custody on immigration holds.

To be clear, the federal government pays for the jail space, not Lane County, but ultimately that's tax payers money.

The Lane County Jail is just one stop in the deportation process for these illegal immigrants on their long journey back to their native country.

64 facilities in Oregon house these sometimes repeat offenders until a judge either rules to let them stay in the country, or turns them over to a detention center in Tacoma, Washington.

From there he or she is usually flown or driven to their homeland, or the illegal immigrant can instead admit to the allegations and request deportation.

Are our communities safer because of this program?

"I think so and when you see some of the crimes these people have been arrested for, I think you'll agree with this," said Clark.

Stay with KVAL.com to hear the personal stories from some of the illegal immigrants featured in this report.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/19584874.html

Illegal aliens from all over Oregon held in the Lane County jail
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Illegal immigrants held in jail for $95 a day
Story Published: Jun 6, 2008 at 4:55 PM PDT

By Kim Quintero

EUGENE, Ore. - Illegal immigrants from all over the state are being housed in Lane County's jail. The federal government's Criminal Alien Program iseffort to rid the country of all illegal immigrants accused or convicted of crimes in the U.S.
The cost to taxpayers: $95 a day, per person, paid by the federal government. Nationally, there are an estimated 30,000 immigration holds.

The people being held have records of convictions ranging anywhere from driving under the influence to assault, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Are our communities safer because of this program?

"I think so and when you see some of the crimes these people have been arrested for, I think you'll agree with this," said Neil Clark with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Criminal Alien Program focuses on illegal immigrants like Edgar Hernandez-Cortes.

"I used to be ah methamphine... methophena..." said Hernandez-Cortes.

"Methamphetamine?"

"Yeah, and I get caught with some of that stuff," Hernandez-Cortes said.

A fingerprint revealed he had crossed the border several times.

"From California to Douglas, Ariz. Any Texas attempts?" asked Clark.

"Yeah, I think I did two," said Hernandez-Cortes.

"You went to Texas twice?" asked Clark.

Hernandez-Cortez has been in and out of prison just as often.

His criminal history includes illegal re-entry after deportation, drug possession and assault against his wife, but his lifestyle choices may leave the biggest scars on his U.S. born children.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I think they hurt because they miss me. And I don't know what's going to happen to them. You know?" said Hernandez-Cortes.

Mexican national Guadalupe Villa-Rubio is in the same boat as Hernandez-Cortez. He will leave behind his U.S. born wife and kids.

"I don't feel really good about it. They depend on me, and she's from here," he said.

And because of his criminal history, including two convictions for driving on a suspended license and one DUII, Villa-Rubio's 7-year-old daughter might grow up without a father.

"If it's a murderer down to the lowest crime of shoplifting, those are people that the law covers, and we have to enforce the law equally," said Clark.

So far for 2008, almost 40,000 criminal alienshave been deportedthrough this program across the nation. But more than double that amount of non-criminal aliens, which ICE defines as an "alien without criminal convictions," have also been deported.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/19617929.html