Two York County commissioners want the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to guarantee it will fill 600 beds at the county prison before the facility expands. (File Photo)

Prison expansion dependent on feds' commitment
By EUGENE PAIK
For The Evening Sun
Posted: 12/10/2008 09:30:21 AM EST

A proposed expansion of the York County Prison to house more immigration detainees appears unlikely without a commitment from the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

County Commissioners Steve Chronister and Doug Hoke said Tuesday they will not agree to the project unless they are certain that up to 600 new beds will be rented by the federal government.
"Before we do anything, we will be talking to ICE," Chronister said. "I don't want to even look at (an expansion) if we don't have to."

Normally, the federal agency does not guarantee how many detainees are sent to the prison, Warden Mary Sabol said.

But that doesn't mean it won't cooperate, she said.

"We have yet to sit down with ICE to discuss the issue," she said. "It's still premature."

An official from ICE and Commissioner Chris Reilly could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The county began exploring an expansion months ago after the federal agency requested 300 to 600 additional beds. The commissioners approved a feasibility study in August to determine how to go about the project and how much it would cost.

The study is expected to be completed soon, and its findings should be released in several weeks.

County officials declined to reveal the anticipated construction costs of the project, but county engineer John Klinedinst said those expenses could be at least $10 million.

The project, he said, might not just add more beds. It could also modify
existing parts of the facility and provide more parking spaces.
There are about 2,425 beds at the prison, where roughly 700 immigration detainees are held each day.

A contract with ICE requires the federal agency to pay the county about $63 per day for each detainee housed at the prison. To break the contract, either side can provide a 60-day notice.

But as expenses mount for the county, the partnership is considered a crucial source of revenue.

An expansion is not the only option in providing ICE with additional beds. The county is pursuing diversionary programs to keep certain people from unnecessarily spending time in prison.

The commissioners hope those programs can empty enough beds to satisfy the federal agency.

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