Audit looks at migrant rearrests
McClatchy Newspapers
Jan. 9, 2007 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Some illegal immigrants are being released from prison only to be arrested on new charges despite government efforts to deport them and keep them out of the country.
The findings are part of an audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine that suggest authorities are still struggling to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes, even though most state and local authorities are notifying immigration authorities of the imminent release of prisoners.
Fine's office analyzed the cases of 100 immigrants who had served time in prison and found 73 of them were rearrested after being released.
On average, each immigrant was rearrested six times, ranging from traffic violations to assault.
Fine's office couldn't determine how many illegal immigrants had been rearrested overall because immigration authorities don't keep track.
If the sample was any indication, "The rate at which released criminal aliens are rearrested is extremely high," the report said.
Last year, Homeland Security's inspector general said immigration authorities expected that most of the 300,000 illegal and legal immigrants eligible to be deported would be released.
Federal officials said they would need 34,000 additional beds at a cost of $1.1 billion to detain and remove all of them.
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