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San Bernardino to screen for illegal immigrants among inmates
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Wednesday, September 21, 2005


(09-21) 02:01 PDT San Bernardino, Calif. (AP) --

The sheriff will begin searching for illegal immigrants among the 3,000-plus inmates at the county's largest jail.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve the program, which is similar to one that sparked controversy in Los Angeles County.

"What we gain from this agreement 1/8in San Bernardino County is that we will have coverage in that jail 24 hours a day, and it will increase the number of criminal aliens removed from the U.S.," said Kevin Jeffery, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent. "This program is an effort to remove the worst of the worst, to stop them from preying on their own communities."

Such arrangements are authorized under a 1996 federal law.

But critics say they can make illegal immigrants hesitant to report crimes to local police for fear of being deported.

"You're eliminating the line between federal and local law enforcement," said Judy London, director of the immigrant rights project for the nonprofit immigrants advocacy group Public Counsel in Los Angeles. "Our concern is seeing that victims of crimes are not further victimized by this mixing of responsibilities."

The San Bernardino County program aims to free up bed space in the county jail and discourage foreign-born criminals from committing crimes, said Deputy Chief Bill Cates of the sheriff's Bureau of Detention and Corrections.

Inmates at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga who are in the country illegally will be turned over to immigration authorities once they complete their sentences, sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.

Sheriff Gary Penrod estimates that 15 percent of the county's inmates are illegal immigrants.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials figure that illegal immigrants account for 25 percent of 170,000 inmates in their jails. Deputies will be trained to screen inmates beginning in November.

The Arizona Department of Corrections began training 10 officers in inmate screening on Tuesday.

The Riverside County Sheriff said he also may pursue such a crackdown.

Inmates who are subject to deportation may request a hearing under immigration law, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.