L.A. County jails to expand screening for illegal immigrants

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

‘The inmates sit on a metal bench in a converted cell at a Los Angeles County jail. Many have served their time and are ready for release. But not before a quick interview,’ reports the L.A. Times’ Anna Gorman.

‘Where were you born? Have you ever been deported? Did you know that a judge had ordered you to leave the country?’

‘Sheriff’s officials, who have been trained by federal authorities to screen for illegal immigrants at the jail, have interviewed nearly 20,000 inmates since the controversial program began more than two years ago. They have referred 10,840 people to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation.’

Last week, the Sheriff’s Department received $500,000 in county funding to expand the jail screening and to increase the number of interviewers from eight to 13.

Sheriff’s officials said the screenings free up jail beds and ensure that illegal immigrants who commit crimes are deported, not released back into the community. Immigration authorities said the program allows them to focus limited resources on other enforcement efforts.

‘We obviously have a tremendous amount of work to do in the United States to combat the issue of illegal immigration,’ said Brian DeMore, Los Angeles field office director of the immigration agency. ‘We use these programs as a way to bolster our immigration authority.’

But there are still holes in the system. The process largely relies on inmates’ honesty about where they were born. The vast majority of interviews are conducted with inmates who have previously said they were born in another country. And even with more custody assistants, department officials say they won’t be able to interview 100% of foreign-born inmates.

‘We do not talk to everybody,’ said sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Kuykendall. ‘We just don’t have the manpower.’

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City