Thursday, November 30, 2006
COSTS OF JAILS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
The Associated Press reported that local and federal authorities have identified more than 900 illegal immigrants detained in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) North Carolina jails since a new federal program began there in April. According to the AP, of the 930 illegal immigrants identified by Mecklenburg County Sheriff's deputies, almost half, or about 450, would have been released had law enforcement not taken the time to identify the inmates as illegals. Moreover, at least 128 have already been deported.
North Carolina ranks ninth nationwide with up to 400,000 unauthorized migrants, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group.
It seems to us, that rather than either incarcerating the illegals at taxpayer expense or deporting them at taxpayer expense, we could either charge the employers of the illegals for the expenses of deportation or require the employers to accept replacement workers from a Work Release Program made up from the ranks of parents jailed for non-support. If this were done, we may be able to avoid building so many expensive new county jails; furthermore those jailed for non-support would be given a method for catching up on their arrearages, thereby reducing the average lengths of their incarcerations.
The Associated Press reported that local and federal authorities have identified more than 900 illegal immigrants detained in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) North Carolina jails since a new federal program began there in April. According to the AP, of the 930 illegal immigrants identified by Mecklenburg County Sheriff's deputies, almost half, or about 450, would have been released had law enforcement not taken the time to identify the inmates as illegals. Moreover, at least 128 have already been deported.
North Carolina ranks ninth nationwide with up to 400,000 unauthorized migrants, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group.
It seems to us, that rather than either incarcerating the illegals at taxpayer expense or deporting them at taxpayer expense, we could either charge the employers of the illegals for the expenses of deportation or require the employers to accept replacement workers from a Work Release Program made up from the ranks of parents jailed for non-support. If this were done, we may be able to avoid building so many expensive new county jails; furthermore those jailed for non-support would be given a method for catching up on their arrearages, thereby reducing the average lengths of their incarcerations.
