Sheriff to work on illegal aliens plan

[AZ GRAMMY]

Sheriff to work on illegal aliens plan

County supervisors take action to find solution to overcrowding of jail facilities

By GRETCHEN LOSI/Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO — The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors directed the sheriff's department on Tuesday to formulate a plan to address the issue of illegal aliens in the county's jail system.

Sheriff Gary Penrod said he is excited about the opportunity to deal with a problem that's contributing to the current overcrowding of the jail system.

"I'm encouraged by the board's show of support. This is something we want to do," Penrod said. "We've been talking about this for quite a while. It opens the door for us to look at some options."

The action was taken to find a solution to the overcrowding of the county's jail facilities, which according to recent county statistics houses 15 to 20 percent illegal citizens.

Though the plan is still in its infancy, Penrod said options include the addition of either U.S. Border Patrol officials or their own trained staff in the jails to identify inmates who are in violation of federal immigration laws.

A closer working relationship between county law enforcement and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would also be established.

"Illegal immigration is an issue that's being addressed every day in the news. Our constituents want the county to step up in combating the problem," Matt Brown, chief of staff for Second District Supervisor Paul Biane said.

Once the inmates are identified as illegal aliens, they could be remanded to federal custody for possible deportation and or prosecution on federal immigration charges.

Once in the federal system, the county would receive additional funding.

"We know we aren't getting an accurate count on the amount of aliens we are booking in the system. Last year we only recovered some $40,000 in federal revenue and Riverside County, a smaller jail system, recovered three times that amount," Penrod said.

Penrod said the inmates would serve their full sentence, after which they would be deported back to their country of origin.

Penrod said this could help lower the number of repeat offenders on the streets.

"The idea is that most criminals are repeat offenders. By identifying them, they will do their time and go back to their home country ... not back to our streets," Penrod said.

County Chairman Bill Postmus said the way the county plans to address the problem would leave no room for racial profiling.

"(Law enforcement) will not begin screening law abiding citizens in the community. It will be conducted with inmates already in the system," Postmus said.

Penrod said he will be returning to the board in 60 days with his proposal. If approved, he anticipates it to be implemented by the end of the year.

Gretchen Losi may be reached at 951-6233 or gretchen_losi@link.freedom.com.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/2005/111642207467355.html

 

[AZ GRAMMY]

Easing jail crowding

County looks to send illegal migrants to feds

By Joe Nelson, Staff Writer

If the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department could deport all of its inmates who are illegal immigrants, its jails would have about 20 percent fewer inmates.
And identifying each of the illegal immigrants in county jails could provide the county more money from the federal government for incarcerating them.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors gave sheriff's officials the green light to start looking at developing a system to identify and process illegal immigrants booked for crimes in San Bernardino County.

Under the proposed program, inmates found to be illegal could be remanded to federal custody for possible deportation or prosecution.

"This is not about the Sheriff's Department profiling anybody. These people are criminals," Supervisor Paul Biane said during Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting.

Sheriff's personnel will appear again before the board, likely within 60 days, to present their findings.

Working with the federal government could provide more federal reimbursement from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program for the cost of housing illegal immigrant inmates.

In 2003, the Sheriff's Department received $547,526 in reimbursement from the program. Last year, it received $487,145. This year, the Sheriff's Department expects to receive about $250,000, Capt. Dennis Casey said.

Under the new program, those numbers could jump dramatically.

"We can reasonably expect those numbers to increase. How much, we don't know," Casey said.

The county's three jails - West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center in Devore and the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino - are bursting with inmates. The crisis has forced the premature release of thousands of inmates monthly, sheriff's officials said.

Recent statistics show that 15 percent to 20 percent of jail inmates in the county are not U.S. citizens, authorities said.

The plan is to have agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement train sheriff's custody assistants - civilian employees who book inmates.

"They'd be trained to look for the same thing an immigration officer looks for," said Bill Cates, a deputy chief with the Sheriff's Department who oversees jail operations for the county.

Custody assistants would be authorized to detain inmates who are not U.S. citizens for federal authorities. Deportation or federal prosecution could follow.

"At least if they're sent out of the country, there's a better chance we won't see them again," Cates said, referring to the reduction of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the county once they are deported.

Since 1996, state and local law enforcement agencies have been able to apply specific immigration laws that are individually negotiated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is responsible for the investigation and enforcement of suspected customs and immigration violations. ICE is charged with training and supervising law enforcement in this area. However, few agencies have taken advantage of the policy, and so far only 54 people, all in Florida or Alabama, have undergone the required training and are qualified nationwide, said Manny Van Pelt, an ICE spokesman.

Such a program would need a system of checks and balances to ensure that undocumented immigrants receive due process and that their rights are not violated, said Gil Navarro, associate president of the Mexican-American Political Association's Inland Empire Region.

Navarro said he prefers leaving the work of illegal immigration to federal authorities.

"I think it's a very sensitive area when law enforcement essentially identifies themselves as immigration officers by making those kinds of decisions," Navarro said. "Law enforcement, to me, should concentrate on enforcing state penal codes and leave the immigration work to Homeland Security and the Border Patrol."

Staff writer Brenda Gazzar contributed to this report.

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208~12588~2874781,00.html