Legal News

Immigrant detention fees a surprising source of income for cities

By Richard Binder

Roughly two-thirds of the nation's immigrant detainees are held in local jails, and the payments to cities and counties for housing them have increased as the federal government has cracked down on illegal immigrants with criminal records and outstanding deportation orders.

The largest federal contract in the state is with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which received received $34.7 million in 2008, up from $32.3 million the previous year. Some smaller cities have seen their income rise much faster. And for many of these cash-strapped cities, the federal money has become a critical source of revenue, covering budget shortfalls and saving positions.

Immigrant rights advocates, however, have raised concerns about local jails not following federal detention standards and not segregating detainees from the criminal population. They also claim the benefit to the cities does not trickle down to the taxpayers.

Read the full story at LA Times.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 17, 2009 (boomark / email).