Posted: 1:46 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014
Ciara O'Rourke

The number of criminal suspects detained by local authorities because they were in the country illegally has dropped by more than a third across the country over the past several years, according to a university study.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, an organization at Syracuse University that analyzes federal enforcement data, found a 39 percent decrease in detainers overall during that period. In Texas, the state with the second-largest number of detainers, there was a 28 percent decrease.

Only the District of Columbia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Guam have seen an increase in the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers from the end of fiscal year 2012 through March 2014.

More than 52,600 detainers were issued in Texas in fiscal year 2012 compared to 3,805 in fiscal year 2013. From November 2013 through March 2014 — the five months of data the university looked at for fiscal year 2014 — 3,166 detainers were issued.

The change in detainers in Travis County was not immediately available.

To see the full report, click here.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/c...elsewhe/nh5zK/