Fairfax Gets Money for Holding Undocumented Immigrants Who Commit Crimes

By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 6, 2009; 6:08 PM

The federal government is giving Fairfax County almost $1.5 million to offset the costs of incarcerating undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, the county sheriff said yesterday.

Sheriff Stan Barry's office said in a written statement that the Justice Department's State Criminal Alien Assistance Program has awarded the county $1,477,913 as reimbursement for a portion of the costs of holding undocumented immigrants.

The Fairfax sheriff's office was one of only 900 out of 3,140 eligible agencies in the United States to receive the funds to ease the local tax burden.

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