Inside ICE Efforts At Local Jails (KTVL-OR)

Inside ICE Efforts At Local Jails

November 17, 2008 - 5:11 PM
Carolyn Carver

More than 30 percent more illegal immigrants with criminal records are off Southern Oregon streets this year, according to new numbers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Now News Ten got a rare look inside the criminal deportation process between local jails and the federal immigration agency.

Ice agents say the jump in deportations is because of the growing Criminal Alien Program, also known as CAP.

Agents say CAP bridges the gap between local and national government agency's to identify immigrants who commit crimes and get them off the streets.

Jose Villa grew up in Southern Oregon. He graduated from North Medford High School.

"All my families here, my parents my wife my kid," he says in ICE custody.

But Villa was born in Mexico and now his numerous arrests are catching up with him.

"My family's expecting me to go home tomorrow they don't know I'm here with immigration now," Villa says.

Villa moved from the Jackson County Jail with federal ICE agents to start the process of being deported back to Mexico.

Sheriff Mike Winters says this system works.

"We're not just trying to pick out people for no good reason we're specifically looking for criminal illegal aliens," Winters says.

A. Neil Clark, the Northwest ICE Field Director for Oregon, Alaska and Washington says the federal government is working with local jails to get illegal immigrants with criminal records out of communities.

"We're going in and getting criminals that have committed crimes in the streets of America and if they're subject to removal we're removing them before they can step foot back on the streets of the country," Clark says.

ICE officials in the Medford office puts the immigrants into the system with fingerprints and interviews, then it's up to a court to decide if they'll be sent back to their home countries.

"All my family's here," Villa says. "I have everyone you know starting form my grandpa, parents, everybody here. I would be lost," Villa says.

He is just one of about 10,000 illiegal immigrations deported from the Northwest this year, according to ICE officials. Thats up 37 percent since last year.

Villa says, "I'm just asking for one more chance, a last chance. I just want to stay here with my family," he says.

For now ICE agents say they'll keep working to keep criminals off the streets.

Villa says he'll fight to stay in a country he now calls his own.

Across the country, more than 345,000 people were deported last year.

That's up from about 288,000 the year before.