Federal study: illegal immigrants caught and released repeatedly

[peejay 327]

Federal study says undocumented illegal immigrants caught and released over and over

By Ted Oberg

(1/08/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON)

Caught but released, over and over again. That's what a federal study is saying about undocumented illegal immigrants.

The Justice Department says people who enter this country illegally are re-arrested as many as six times on average and are still here. Even more disturbing is the reason why they're being released.

Bail is up, way up, for undocumented immigrants -- an automatic $35,000. That's a local change and it could keep thousands more people in Harris County jails and on your dime. Even worse, a report today says it may not make a difference at all -- the feds won't pay to do their part of the job.

Since the policy went in to effect New Year's Day, 100 inmates at the Harris County jail admitted to being here illegally -- 100 in seven and a half days. That's in addition to the 1,100 non citizen inmates already there from last year.

"So it's clear if they have a bond, they weren't able to post bond," said Lt. John Martin of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The $35,000 bond is far higher than it used to be. Last year when we first reported on the problem, non citizens were treated the same as everyone else -- able to get out of jail with three-thousand, five-thousand or 10-thousand dollar bonds. Now with higher amounts it could keep thousands more non citizens in jail every year.

"They've already got a jail overcrowding problem and this just adds to that problem," said Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

For the first time, the federal government is confirming what Eyewitness News told you last November.

According to a Department of Justice report out Monday, "the rate at which criminal aliens are rearrested is extremely high."

In fact the study shows after an undocumented immigrant is released from custody he or she will be arrested six more times.

Even more disturbing, the report shows the federal government is letting hundreds of thousands of criminals back on our streets because there is no money, nor federal prison space to hold them.

"We let them go, we let them go back into society where they're illegally at anyway and then they commit more crimes," said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas.

The Justice Department says there are 302,000 undocumented aliens who will commit crimes and should be deported this year, but, "most of these incarcerated aliens are being released in the US because (the federal government) doesn't have the resources to identify, detain and remove these aliens."

DHS calls this a, "mini amnesty program for criminal and other high risk aliens."

The federal government says it would take $35,000 prison beds and a billion more dollars to solve.

"I'd sell newspapers on the street before I'd work for any federal agency. I don't think they're very efficient," said Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

Efficient or not, the report out today does not say good things about the system. We'll see if higher bonds overfill Harris County jails, but without a federal fix it might be a useless solution.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=...&id=4917485

Thank you George Bush...you are responsible for this festering mess.

[Hornet 2]

Yes it's a huge mess but George Bush isn't totally at fault. This has been going on for years!! two decades since the last amnesty mess.

I blame the career politicians on Capital Hill more. Ones that have been there 20-30 years and have done nothing. Congress passes the laws and passes spending bills. The President just signs them into law.

None of them want to face facts though. It's just like social security, they'll wait til it blows up. And blame eachother.

[Heracles 417]

You guys have to stop voting idiots into office.