A bill to move some illegal immigrants in state prisons into federal jurisdiction passed a House subcommittee Wednesday.

Rep. Randy Terrill, the bill’s author, said the measure would save the state more than $3 million in the upcoming fiscal year.



Rep. Randy Terrill R-Moore


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House Bill 2245 would allow the state to send inmates who are in this country illegally to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. It would apply to criminals incarcerated for nonviolent crimes who have served at least half their sentence in state prison.

Terrill, R-Moore, said his bill would shift the financial burden to the federal government for imprisoning criminals who are illegal immigrants.

Terrill said state Corrections Department figures show 166 offenders would meet the conditions of HB 2245. The state pays about $20,000 per year to house each inmate, putting the immediate annual savings at more than $3 million.

"The other advantage is you immediately free up those 166 bed spaces to hold more violent criminals,â€