Baltimore Sun: Arundel changes reporting on illegal immigrants in custody

Arundel changes reporting on illegal immigrants in custody

By a Sun Reporter

12:24 PM EDT, April 3, 2008

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold, who has been in the forefront of the regional debate over illegal immigration, has turned his attention to jail inmates.

A month after the county began reporting foreign-born inmates to federal authorities on a daily -- rather than weekly -- basis, the number of prisoners being released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation has significantly jumped, Leopold announced today.

Between Jan. 1 and March 6, three inmates were released to ICE. Since the new reporting system went into effect in March, 45 inmates have been reported to ICE, more than half of whom were identified as possible candidates for deportation. Thirteen have been released into ICE's custody.

In August, Leopold issued an executive order requiring government contractors to sign an affidavit swearing they do not employ people living in the country illegally.

In November, a county police officer was permanently assigned to the ICE Baltimore field office. In addition, one officer from each of the four county police districts received specialized training on ICE and documenting fraud.

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