Thread: Storms pushes for jail payments-Tampa

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Storms pushes for jail payments
The cost of holding illegal immigrants shouldn't fall to the county, the commissioner says.
By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published September 21, 2006

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TAMPA - Illegal immigrants typically make up about 10 percent of the Hillsborough jail population, and housing them this year will cost an estimated $11.3-million, according to a report presented to the Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday.

Commissioner Ronda Storms is pressing for the federal government to do a better job of identifying and prosecuting them, and wants the county reimbursed for the cost of holding them.

She asked the county's legal department on Wednesday to look into the process of identifying illegal immigrants in the jail and getting back county costs from federal authorities.

Storms had asked a representative of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to attend a commission meeting to talk about the problem. Hillsborough sheriff's Col. David Parrish said he invited an agent, but an ICE attorney advised against it.

Parrish said that ICE has access to the jail's database, and it's up to that agency to deal with illegal immigrants who have been arrested on local charges.

"I just think it's a copout to say it's a federal problem," Storms said.

Parrish wrote in a July letter to ICE, "Since ICE has sole authority to determine what, if any, action is appropriate in such cases, preparation of a list of individuals that we think may be of interest to you could result in misidentification or perhaps failure to identify the appropriate persons."

Storms said that "the federal government has refused to secure the border." As a result, illegal immigrants commit crimes against other illegal immigrants and U.S. citizens. Many become repeat offenders, she said.

"When an identified illegal alien is arrested and booked on local charges, those charges must be disposed of prior to the individual being surrendered to the custody of federal authorities," Parrish wrote in a letter to commissioners that explained the process. "Once this point is reached, the Sheriff's Office has no authority over the alien's future."

ICE has 48 hours to take an illegal immigrant into custody for deportation once his sentence on local charges is up.

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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/21/Hills ... efly.shtml

Storms wants illegal immigrants out of jails

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms is pressing the federal government to do a better job of identifying and prosecuting illegal immigrants, and wants the county reimbursed for the cost of holding them in jail. Illegal immigrants typically make up about 10 percent of the county jail population, and housing them this year will cost an estimated $11.3-million, according to a report presented to the Hillsborough County Commission Wednesday. Hillsborough sheriff's Col. David Parrish said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has access to the jail's database, and it's up to it to deal with the illegal immigrants who have been arrested on local charges. "I just think it's a copout to say it's a federal problem," Storms said. She said "the federal government has refused to secure the border." As a result, illegal immigrants commit crimes against other illegals and U.S. citizens. Many become repeat offenders, she said. ICE has 48 hours to take an illegal immigrant into custody for deportation once their sentence on local charges is up.