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Federal judge in Texas seeks justification for criminal prosecution of immigration offenders without a criminal history

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this local article from Texas, which is headlined "Federal judge questions immigration prosecutions: Sparks suggests it's too expensive to jail those without any significant criminal history," a federal judge near the border is sick and tired of minor immigration offenses being criminal prosecuted in federal court, and he is not going to take it any more.  Here are the details: In an order filed Friday, a federal judge in Austin questioned U.S. prosecutors for seeking criminal convictions in court against some illegal immigrants, writing that the practice "presents a cost to the American taxpayer ... that is neither meritorious nor reasonable."  The order by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks [which is available here] comes as his docket, like others in Texas, is swollen with defendants charged with immigration crimes...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 10, 2010 (boomark / email).