U.S. Steps Up Deportation Of Immigrant Criminals

By Ernesto Londo�o
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 27, 2008; Page A01
Immigration officials are increasingly scouring jails and courts nationwide and reviewing years-old criminal records to identify deportable immigrants, efforts that have contributed to a steep rise in deportations and strained the immigration court system.

Long accused of failing to do enough to deport illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, federal authorities have recently strengthened partnerships with local corrections systems and taken other steps to monitor immigrants facing charges, officials said.

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And yet, here in Travis County, the sheriff is catching all kinds of grief for granting ICE a permanent office in the local jail from which they can review local inmates' immigration status for possible deportation proceedings.

Sounds like a policy that is long overdue to me! It's gotta save the county money, too.