Homeland Security Announces “Deport the Criminals First” Policy
[Guest post by DRJ]
Patterico was among the first bloggers to push the idea of Deport the Criminals First and I think he deserves some credit for this ICE effort called “Secure Communities”:
“The U.S. Homeland Security department has launched an ambitious nationwide effort that would cost $2 billion to $3 billion a year to identify and deport the estimated 300,000 to 450,000 illegal immigrants locked up each year in jails and prisons.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation was denounced by immigrant rights groups and received cautiously by those favoring tighter enforcement.
”We can do something few law enforcement agencies can do: Not only ensure criminals are off the streets, but ensure they are removed from the country,” said ICE spokesman Tim Counts. ”Removing hundreds of thousands of criminals from the country is sure to have a positive impact on community safety.”
ICE has a presence in only 10 percent of the nation’s 3,100 local lockups. Last year, it filed deportation charges against 164,000 illegal immigrants in jail, and removed 95,000, Counts said.
”It’s a broad-stroke outline for a plan to locate more of the illegal aliens located in jails and prisons throughout the country,” Counts said.”
The details are at the link.
— DRJ
If the Department of Agriculture can have an office in EVERY county of the U.S., there is no excuse for Homeland Security (ICE) to not have an equal presence through-out this land. They should be leasing an office in every County Jail in the country.
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/10/2008 @ 1:30 pmThey should give them office space based on what it will save in probation costs alone.
DRJ (a431ca) — 4/10/2008 @ 1:31 pm“• Expand an early parole program for non-violent immigrants who agree to deportation.”
So this means they secure your early release back to your home country?
stef (5da464) — 4/10/2008 @ 1:37 pmSure, if they’re not violent, why not send them out of the country early? It leaves more space in the prisons for violent offenders, and it’s one less illegal alien the taxpayers must feed, clothe, and house.
Steverino (e00589) — 4/10/2008 @ 1:39 pmSo how long do you think it’ll take before we deport someone who’s actually a U.S. citizen, but can’t prove it because they’re in jail?
Phil (6d9f2f) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:10 pmActually, I think if I’m ever arrested I might try claiming I’m actually an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands. Just to see what happens . . .
Phil (6d9f2f) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:12 pmOh yes, let’s never do anything because we might someday make a mistake. Nevermind that we can check for these mistakes before we commit to them. Nevermind that we can correct the mistakes. Let’s just never take the chance that anything we ever do will be a mistake.
Steverino (e00589) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:28 pmRisk-averse people never accomplish anything!
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:38 pmPhil #6,
You’re too late. Saul Espinoza is one step ahead of you.
DRJ (8b9d41) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:42 pmDRJ, being a constant reader of this site, Mr. Espinoza’s story was what I drew from, and expanded. Mr. Espinoza wasn’t ambitious enough — why try to get “deported” to Mexico, when you could get a free trip to Europe?
Phil (6d9f2f) — 4/10/2008 @ 2:54 pmOK but 2-3 extra billion? Who’s going to pay for it and what’s it for? Office space? Hiring secretaries? “contractors?” what?
EdWood (c2268a) — 4/10/2008 @ 3:21 pmPhil,
Touche’, but I would choose a warmer venue like Tahiti, the Riviera, or the Caribbean.
DRJ (8b9d41) — 4/10/2008 @ 3:30 pmEdWood,
Hopefully personnel costs for ICE and transportation costs for the deportees.
DRJ (8b9d41) — 4/10/2008 @ 3:30 pm$2-3 Billion…
IIRC, that’s about a 0.1% increase in spending.
Would that be considered a rounding error?
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/10/2008 @ 3:45 pmAnd I love Villaragosa’s letter to Chertoff asking ICE – Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement – to go after employers who violate wage and hour laws rather than employers who employ illegals.
I knew L.A.’s mayor wasn’t very smart – hell he couldn’t pass the bar in at least 3 tries — but to suggest that ICE do something that it isn’t even authorized to do is amazingly idiotic.
MOG (f57a20) — 4/10/2008 @ 3:56 pmAt $50,000 per year per government employee, $2 billion equals 40,000 employees to track down 300,000 to 450,000 jailed illegals per year. This equals one government employee locating and deporting only 8-11 illegals per year.
Bet I could find that many in one day.
Perfect Sense (b6ec8c) — 4/10/2008 @ 4:38 pmPut a $500 bounty on each illegal and they will be all located and deport within a month by US citizens at a fraction of the proposed cost.
Put a $500 bounty on each illegal … and they will be recruited outside the US to be transported across the border, deliberately turned in by an accomplice, then sent back so that they and their accomplice can split the loot and do it again the next day.
Supporters in key positions would assist by ensuring that the captures and roundtrips were as swift as possible; time is money.
ras (fc54bb) — 4/10/2008 @ 5:18 pmJamiel’s Law Update
In the on-going controversy over the murder of a Los Angeles teenager by an illegal alien-who had been released from jail the day before, LAPD Chief William Bratton was interviewed today by local news station KTLA. His responses and his overall attitude are a shocking disgrace.
When asked if Jamiel Shaw might be alive today if the suspect, Pedro Espinosa, had had been turned over to federal authorities for deportation, the chief responded that Shaw might be alive today if he had arrived at the shooting location 10 seconds earlier-or the killer had arrived 10 seconds later. He also went on to explain that illegal alien gang members have to commit a crime before the LAPD will pick them up. That means that if one of his officers happens to see a person whom he knows is an illegal alien and a gang member, no action will be taken.
Chief Bratton also pointed out that the suspect, Espinosa, had been arrested in neighboring Culver City leading to his incarceration prior to the killing. The old “didn’t happen on my watch excuse.” (Espinosa was incarcerated in LA County Jail. The shooting occurred the day after Espinosa was released.)
That is what LA Special Rule 40 is all about folks. It is a part of the LAPD handbook. LA is a sanctuary city, and if people don’t like it, they can, in the words of Chief Bratton, “leave the city”.
Now here is what one LA City Council member, Ed Reyes, had to say yesterday as Mr and Mrs Shaw were addressing the City Council and pleading with them to at least adjust Rule 40 as it pertains to known illegal alien gang members.
According to Council member Reyes, revoking Rule 40 would;
cause division
hurt the economy
destroy our sense of community
That is Ed Reyes’ answer to grieving parents. To crack down on illegal alien gang members would cause division, hurt the economy and destroy their sense of community.
Some community.
Apparently, the city’s economy counts for more than the lives of innocent murder victims who are killed by people who should not even be in this country.
From Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to Chief Bratton to the LA City Council, the leadership of Los Angeles has blood on its hands because of their support for illegal aliens. (Villaraigosa, incidentally, is national co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.) Bratton, who was previously NYPD Chief, shows the abrasive New York manner to anyone who disagrees with him. He actually told a radio caller who complained about the sanctuary policy that if the caller didn’t like it, he could leave.
Chief Bratton should leave and go back to New York.
gary fouse
fouse, gary c (7b7c7c) — 4/10/2008 @ 5:46 pmfousesquawk
As long as our border remains porous, then letting people go early in exchange for deportation simply means they come back across the border again and are free inside the country.
It’s little different than just releasing them from jail.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 4/10/2008 @ 5:48 pm3 billion a year to identify 300k prisoners. That’s 10k per prisoner, if my math is right. These people return the day after they are deported. This is insanity.
j curtis (c84b9e) — 4/10/2008 @ 5:57 pmI’m surprised, j.curtis. You used to be unhappy about illegal immigration because nothing was being done; Now you’re unhappy that it’s too small a step.
With a nation and government as large as ours, it’s never going to be an “all or nothing” solution. This is a good development and, even though the major changes are happening at the local and state levels, it’s good to have federal cooperation in deporting criminal aliens.
DRJ (a431ca) — 4/10/2008 @ 6:05 pm21 DRJ
What measures are being taken to ensure that these criminals will stay in Mexico once we deport them?
j curtis (c84b9e) — 4/10/2008 @ 6:25 pmj curtis,
As you know, we can’t make their home countries keep them under house arrest, so you’re right that the only real solution is to firm up the border. However, we’ve seen some movement in that area. I know it could be better and that the actions that have been done happened because of citizen demands.
Still, to act like nothing has changed ignores: That there is now a Zero Tolerance Policy in Del Rio that is expanding across the Southern border; that cities like Austin, Texas are openly participating with ICE to screen their jails; that border crossings are down in Texas and elsewhere because of policies like Operation Streamline; and that illegal immigrants are voluntarily leaving because of stepped-up enforcement in Arizona.
DRJ (a431ca) — 4/10/2008 @ 6:42 pmi support “deport the criminals first”, thank patterico et. al. for bringing this no-brainer to public attention. if step two needs a catchy title, i volunteer “defund illegal sanctuaries”. you know there’s gonna be local resistance, so we must bludgeon the resistance into submission by withholding federal money.
assistant devil's advocate (91fa0f) — 4/10/2008 @ 8:25 pmSteven Den Beste: Now, see this: tinyurl.com/hoxoy
Depending on how they’re released, coming back or being found here could be a felony. So, it might not be like the normal cases you might have heard about, where people can just keep coming back over and over.
As for “deport the criminals first”, I don’t support this site’s version of it since Patterico has made it clear that once that’s done he wants an amnesty.
Instead, as outlined yesterday and then fisked by a bellicose woman, I support a “discredit the politicians first” process, thereby leading to deportations and no amnesty.
Of course, something like that might require a little work.
LonewackoDotCom (e10679) — 4/10/2008 @ 8:44 pmMeanwhile the City Clowncil and Mayor Villar argue over $19 million in slush fund…I mean, anti-gang funds. They have “hugged” the bereaved and helped them pay for funerals. Wow. Not a word on what they’re going to do to stop the violence. How about hiring more police, and letting them deport the criminals first?
Hey, maybe they can reinstate Hector Marroquin!
They simply don’t care–they care about the $19 million. $19 million and counting
Patricia (f56a97) — 4/11/2008 @ 9:01 amUsing J. Curtis’ math, this is probably a cost saving measure. $10,000 to identify and deport an illegal alien vs. $30,000 to $40,000 per year to keep them locked up.
The key is keeping them out once they have been deported. I’d build a jail on Adak Island in the Aleutians. If a criminal deportee is caught in the US again after being deported-for any reason at all-it’s straight to Adak for the balance of the maximum unserved term. No time off for good behavior.
MartyH (52fae7) — 4/11/2008 @ 9:06 amMarty…
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/11/2008 @ 9:52 amWe had a perfect place for that idea on a small island right out near the end of the Aleutians: Shemya.
Unfortunately, DoD is now in the process of fitting it out with the latest radar as part of the anti-missile shield system.
I’ll let you all know if ICE comes knocking at my door over a parking ticket. I’m against illegal immigration along with most of you, but in my not infrequent contacts with poor people I’d say that 90% of them have outstanding warrants, all of them for bullshit deals like speeding, no smog-no registration (nobody poor can afford to register or smog their vehicles), being drunk in a parking lot with his friends, and so on. Outstanding Warrants is just an excuse to harass. Outstanding Warrants for felonies is something altogether different.
Howard Veit (cc8b85) — 4/11/2008 @ 10:05 amUsing J. Curtis’ math, this is probably a cost saving measure. $10,000 to identify and deport an illegal alien vs. $30,000 to $40,000 per year to keep them locked up.
A few things that I need to know about this…
If these prisoners are identified and they were sentenced to prison plus probation, shouldn’t they have to do all that probation time in prison before they are released?
Shouldn’t all Mexican Nationals who are currently on probation and identified be thrown back into jail to serve that probation time instead of given a one day vacation back in Mexico and no more probation? They’ll be back the next day free and clear and totally off the radar of the justice system.
If they are deporting the criminals “first”, does that mean they don’t have to deport the so-called “non criminal illegals” until after all the criminal illegals are deported? I suspect that is Bush’s scheme.
Shouldn’t this program be only a one year thing or will they be indentifying 300k Mexican prisoners ever year for eternity? Since federal programs never end, won’t they need to keep the conditions in place that will ensure lots and lots of Mexican prisoners continuously being unidentified so that they can be identified later on with the 3 billion a year program? Surely those thousands of new government employees who will be hired for this program will want to keep their jobs for a long time so being effective at their jobs will threaten their job security.
As I’ve stated before, Bush and Chertoff consider themselves the patron saints of the illegal invaders and particularly the Mexican criminals ( think Davila of Ramos and Compean fame ). You need to consider the mischief they have in mind with this program.
If we find some illegal aliens from Iraq, should we be more inclined to deport the prisoners at Gitmo first? No. The Mexican criminals are analogous to the prisoners at Gitmo. We want to keep them incarcerated for as long as possible because we know that they will be a threat again soon after deported.
Deport the non criminal illegals first and keep the criminals locked up as invading war criminals until we can safely dispose of them. Yes, it’s a war.
j curtis (c84b9e) — 4/11/2008 @ 10:19 amj…
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/11/2008 @ 10:29 amBush and Chertoff will not be able to make any mischef after 1/20/09!
The A-Q types (alleged) at Gitmo are not prisoners, they are detainees. Since they were not wearing a uni when captured, they have no POW status; until they have been convicted of a crime, they cannot be considered prisoners.
I would think that we could keep deporting Illegal Alien Criminals until we run out of them; then, we could start on the run-of-the-mill aliens who have no other criminal history. But, got an outstanding warrant (for anything): Go to the head of the line.
Bush and Chertoff will not be able to make any mischef after 1/20/09!
They know their replacements will be sympathetic to the mischief.
I’m saying that Mexican criminals should be classified as enemy combatants and the invasion of our homeland classified as an act of war by Mexico.
j curtis (c84b9e) — 4/11/2008 @ 12:19 pmAnd, I don’t disagree.
But, perhaps we should start out small, by just putting a bounty on their heads?
Another Drew (f9dd2c) — 4/11/2008 @ 12:30 pmJamiel’s Law- Resolution by LA City Council Member Dennis Zine
Today, LA City Council Member Dennis Zine has introduced a resolution to amend Special Rule 40 to allow LAPD officers to take action if they encounter a known illegal alien who is also a known gang member. The resolution is being seconded by Greig Smith, who sits with Zine on the Public Safety Committee. It will be submitted to committee chairman Jack Weiss, who is in charge of the paper-shuffling and can schedule it for debate or send it directly to the council. Weiss, who aspires to run for City Attorney, has been quoted in the past that issue should “be handled in the jails”.
In response, committee member Tony Cardenas announced his opposition stating that “LAPD officers should not be Immigration agents”. This character is definitely on the side of the gangs.
As I understand it, the Public Safety Committee has 5 members, Zine, Smith, Parks, Ed Reyes,and Weiss. Three yes votes are needed to forward the resolution on to the full council. Whether the 3 votes are there is not known. The 3 question marks are Weiss, Reyes and Parks. (Actually, Reyes is on the other side.)
Meanwhile, while this invading army of tens of thousands terrorizes the citizens of Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who gives immigration rally speeches supporting illegals, has taken a break from being Hillary Clinton’s national campaign co-chair to write a letter to Michael Cherthof of Homeland Security complaining about workplace raids. His position is, not surprisingly, seconded by the LA Times.
Another curious factor in this mess is the silence of the black activist community. LA, not surprisingly, has a whole stable of so-called Civil Rights leaders who will come out of the woodwork immediately if a cop or a white person victimizes a black person. Yet, in this matter, they are completely silent. People like Eddie Jones, Tony Mohammed, and Najee Ali are AWOL. Nationally, it is the same thing. Where is Al Sharpton? Where is Jesse Jackson? Where is the NAACP? Where is the Congressional Black Caucus? Where is Maxine Waters, representative from LA?
Where is the outrage?
Why were they not standing with Mr and Mrs Shaw this week when they stood before the City Council crying and pleading while the council members basically sat there impassively “clipping their fingernails” in the words of supporter and talk show host Doug McIntyre.
This shows these people for what they are. According to their agenda, they only take note and get involved when it is a white perpetrator and a black victim-or a white cop and black suspect. Illegal alien gang member kills an innocent black teenager? Not interested.
This is not just a LA problem. This situation is spreading all over the country while elected officials refuse to take action either out of sympathy for illegal aliens, Latino solidarity or fear of being sued by the ACLU.
LA talk jocks, John and Ken of KFI have given out the office phone numbers of Weiss, Reyes and Parks asking that they be called and urged to support Jamiel’s Law. I have called the offices of Weiss and Parks. Reyes I consider a lost cause, but I did send him this email last night:
“Mr Reyes,
I am shocked and disgusted at your blase attitude toward the Shaw family and the murder of their son. It is incredible that you place the city’s economy above the lives of innocent victims of illegal alien gang members.
You, the mayor, the police chief and the other City Council members have blood on your hands because of this insane sanctuary city policy.
You sir, are a disgrace.”
Gary Fouse
fouse, gary c (7b7c7c) — 4/11/2008 @ 5:04 pm