Cook County Board Could Vote On Freeing Inmates Wanted By Immigration Authorities

WBEZ:

Cook County commissioners on Wednesday could take center stage in the nation's immigration debate if they enact a proposal that would begin freeing some jail inmates wanted by federal authorities.

The measure requires the sheriff to decline Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests known as detainers "unless there is a written agreement with the federal government by which all costs incurred" by the county are reimbursed.

Read the whole story: WBEZ

Comments

[mecormany]

04:30 PM on 09/08/2011

Hope this happens. Most undocumented aliens have been here long enough and worked hard at crummy jobs. Give them all amnesty and then put the blame for our problems where it belongs - Wall Street, bankers, the MIC and free trede policies and laws like NAFTA. The most powerless people in the country are not causing anybody to lose anything. The richest are. As usual they con all of you into believing otherwise. No wonder this class war is more like a class slaughter. Our side is too stupid to even know who the enemy is.

[Nuyorican21]

02:58 PM on 09/07/2011

Note: The article isn't very clear in determining whether the immigrants are actually undocumented. They may have had residency or work permits but have violated the terms of their privilege (getting arrested twice or committing a crime of moral turpitude). The article only uses "no legal right". It does not state that all of the detainees are undocumented. A resident also loses their legal right to remain in the US unless certain circumstances are present, and it is up to them to prove it.

[IllTakeTheRedEye]

08:34 PM on 09/07/2011

Here is an update to this article:

Legislation that would have required Cook County to free some jail inmates wanted by immigration authorities is dead for now.

Commissioner Jesús García, D-Chicago, withdrew his bill at Wednesday’s County Board meeting. “We want to rethink it,” he said afterwards.

The measure would have made the county the nation’s largest jurisdiction to end blanket compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers. Those are requests by the federal agency for local jails to keep some inmates 48 hours beyond what their criminal cases require.

Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she would back releasing some inmates wanted by ICE but wants to hear from State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. “We hope to have a written opinion from the state’s attorney that will allow us to proceed,” she said after the board meeting.

A letter from Alvarez to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office back in 2009 said the jail “must comply with any ICE detainers.”

But ICE officials in recent months have said there is no legal requirement for jails to comply. Dart told WBEZ this month he planned to ask Alvarez for an updated opinion.

Alvarez’s office hasn’t answered WBEZ’s questions about whether she will revisit that opinio

http://www.wbez.org/story/county-commissioner-pulls-bill-free-inmates-wanted-ice-89730

[CrestedSparrow]

10:28 PM on 09/06/2011

"...pose little or no risk to public safety. These people have been cleared of charges or have posted bond."

Excellent move! Thank you Toni.

[IllTakeTheRedEye]

12:11 PM on 09/07/2011

You emphasized, "...or have posted bond"

Posted bond does not mean "cleared of charges"
They are talking about posting bond at Cook County for a Cook County arrest. If you jump Cook County bail, and do not show up for court, that is a felony or a class 3 misdemeanor. When you post Cook County bond, it means you must show up for Cook County court to have either a Cook County judge or Cook County jury decide if you are innocent or guilty, usually of a State level crime.

"Posted bond" does not mean within an immigration court, because Cook County has not moved them to ICE immigration court custody yet.

You emphasized, "These people have been cleared of charges"

1) Not all of them have been cleared of charges, and Garcia did not tell you how many were.
2) Of those that were cleared of a charge, that does not mean that they do not have a warrant open for them somewhere else in the USA at another State for State charges.
3) Of those that were cleared of a charge, that does not mean that they do not have a warrant open for them somewhere else in the USA at the Federal level
4) From the 2009 E-verify USCIS.gov Employer User Manual

DEFINITIONS
Illegal Alien
"A foreign national who (1) entered the United States without inspection or with fraudulent documentation or (2) who, after entering legally as a non–immigrant, violated status and remained in the United States without authorization."(PDF page 52)
http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/E-Verify_Manual.pdf

A) Use of "fraudulent documentation" is a felony
B) "Without inspection," after being deported before, is a felony. Read about it yourself:
http://immigration.findlaw.com/immigration/immigration-deportation/immigration-deportation-illegal-reentry.html

We do not know if these individuals have previously been deported by the Feds after being found guilty somewhere else in the USA in the past. That is what a "detainer" from DHS is for.

C) "Remaining in the USA without authorization" after visa expired, is precisely what many of the foreign nationals did 10 years ago this Sunday. Read it yourself, PDF page 1
(http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol29_No3_Booth.pdf)

[Vivicca Whitsett]

06:20 PM on 09/06/2011

If I were a voter living in Cook County, you can bet I'd be organizing a recall election for these commissioners! Enforce the immigration laws and do not release these criminals back into society. They were arrested for a reason - they broke the law! Deport the lot of them and if you're listening IL voters -- mount a recall! Oust Garcia & Preckwinkle and anyone who is in favor of this massive release idea. smh

[CrestedSparrow]

10:34 PM on 09/06/2011

They were arrested for being in the country illegally and not for committing any other crime. The county can use their resources for detaining violent criminals instead of housing nonviolent people.

[Viper1st]

03:14 AM on 09/07/2011

The fact that these illegals are detainers ~ proves that they are not "law-abiding" and are not worthly of the USA's resources

Being in the USA w/o authorization of the U.S. Gov't is a deportable offense ~ no other nonviolent crimes need be committed to qualify for DEPORTATION

[Vivicca Whitsett]

06:11 PM on 09/06/2011

This is ridiculous! If you have illegals in jail, they've already commited a crime just deport them!

[Consequence]

04:03 PM on 09/06/2011

One in four people in prison in CA are illegals.

Murder, rape, assault, robbery, etc.

What are the people on this board thinking?

[Viper1st]

04:44 PM on 09/06/2011

While ~ illegals make up 8.67% of California's population ~ but, 25%+ of California's prison population

So much for "law-abiding" illegals contributing to the USA's society & economy ~ how much does a Californian prison convict earn?

[Nuyorican21]

02:50 PM on 09/07/2011

They might actually earn some money and do jobs in prison. It's the new trend. Cheap labor not just overseas, but in our prisons.

[Viper1st]

10:25 AM on 09/06/2011

So much for ~ "law-abiding" illegals, contributing to the USA

Crimes committed by illegals? Just the everyday life style of illegals living in the USA ~ illegally as fugitves from ICE

[Viper1st]

10:20 AM on 09/06/2011

Thank you elected Cook County Commissioners ~

For protecting illegals ~ over the rights & safety of U.S. Citizens

[mikey09]

06:37 PM on 09/05/2011

So, Chicago like Texas wants paid for the cost of housing illegal alien criminal.....difference is Chicago is saying, we will turn them lose if you don't pay up....and when Texas turns the illegals over to the fed's, the fed's turn them lose.....so guess fed's win either way, the illigals will just be turned loose....what a mess....to bad out government ignored this problem for decades, but they are good at ignoring problems....one reason everything is falling apart.

[Consequence]

04:24 PM on 09/05/2011

It will be interesting to see what the board members say when they or a family member of their is a victim of a crime perpetrated by one of the illegals they voted to set free.

Or when a family member of someone hurt by them stands before the board and gives them both barrels.

[Viper1st]

10:17 AM on 09/06/2011

In memory of the U.S. Citizens ~ the real victims

http://www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp

[kingjohn1956]

09:02 AM on 09/05/2011

Must be really ""puffed up"" this morning cause i thought I read that they are going to set free inmates wanted by the Feds.Am I correct?

[mikey09]

06:39 PM on 09/05/2011

Yep, unless the fed's pay up for the costs of the illegals....heard Perry of TX sent Fed's a bill for housing illegal criminals....seems red and blue want reimbursed for illegal costs..

[kingjohn1956]

01:49 AM on 09/06/2011

Thank-you Mikey09 but now that the smoke has cleared I still can't believe it.

[mat3]

03:18 AM on 09/05/2011

Sorry, states cannot make immigration law. Isn't that the argument that was being used before?

[dtairtime]

11:47 AM on 09/05/2011

Yet the DOJ will magically NOT do anything about cities like this one because they are too busy fighting AZ as they are trying to mirror federal law.

[IllTakeTheRedEye]

03:06 AM on 09/05/2011

CookCounty Commissioner last names
Collins
Steele
Butler
Beavers
Sims
Murphy
Garcia
Reyes
Silvestri
Gainer
Daley
Fritchey
Suffredin
Goslin
Schneider
Tobolski
Doody-Gorman
http://www.co.cook.il.us/portal/server.pt/community/government/226/leadership

CookCounty people with same last name, but wanted by CookCounty Law Enforcement Agencies; Central Warrants Unit
(1)..575 people with last name GARCIA
(2)..148 REYES
(3)...72 COLLINS
(4)...35 SIMS
(5)...29 BUTLER
(6)...26 MURPHY
(7)...10 STEELE
(8)....3 GORMAN
(9)....2 GAINER
(10)...2 SCHNEIDER
(11)...1 BEAVERS
(12)...1 DALEY
(13)...0 Doody, Fritchey, Goslin, Silvestri, Suffredin, Tobolski
TOTAL 904

64% of 904 are GARCIA
16% of 904 are REYES
80% are GARCIA or REYES
SOURCE: http://www4.cookcountysheriff.org/default1.asp
or
GoogleChromeBrowser
http://www4.cookcountysheriff.org/

81% of Illegal aliens in USA come from "Hispanic or Latino origin"
59% Mexico
11% Central America
7% South America
4% Caribbean
PDF page 31
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/107.pdf

Year 2010 - US Census Bureau - Cook County
44%.."White, not Latino"
24%.."Hispanic or Latino origin"
24%.."Black"
6%..."Asian"
2.5%.."2 or more races"
.4%..."American Indian and Alaska Native persons"
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17031.html

Only 24% of Cook County is Latino, but 80% of this County Warrant sample have a Latino last name

Not a coincidence, Cook County commissioner Garcia seems to have a conflict of interest
Commissioner "GARCIA" how many millions of dollars per year does recidivism cost Cook County?

[CrestedSparrow]

11:14 PM on 09/06/2011

According to your own link and a random spot check,most of the offenses are nonviolent: driving without a license or DUI. Racial profiling is turning out to be a significant revenue stream for counties; post bail in the thousands and fines for no license and the threat of deportation. Legalize them and 75% of your panic problem disappears. The files do not disclose citizenship status. Studies have been done that most crimes are committed by citizens, not illegals.

[IllTakeTheRedEye]

07:11 PM on 09/08/2011

You wrote, "a random spot check"

Was that your scientific sampling?
Try to be honest, it was your opinion after YOU clicked a few out of 575 or 904 total.
Please...

You wrote, "most of the offenses are nonvi0lent­: driving without a license or DUI"

Now it is "most?" Really? For which name?
For only the name "GARCIA," most would mean that you drilled down into 290 warrants.
Most for 904 total would mean that you drilled down into 500 warrants.
Did you also create a record with columns denoting a running count of each charge?
You are funny

BTW, you seem to have missed something very important, that link to the open warrants, is not all arrests, or all crimes, or all convictions, these are only warrants on people that Law Enforcement cannot find. You skipping that shows you did not read what you claim to be doing a "random spot check of."

You wrote, "R----- profiling is turning out to be a significan­t revenue stream for counties;"

Please provide me the scientific study of that sometime, I will not stand for that.
If you do not provide it to me sometime in the near future, then I will know that it is a feeling, and not supported by an actual study.

You wrote, "post bail in the thousands and fines for no license and the th of deportatio­n."

Legal Americans have to post bail in the thousands and fines for no license.
As for the end of that sentence, the individual knows that risk when entering USA illegally

You wrote, "Legalize them and 75% of your p problem disappears"

I will encourage others to remove the magnet attracting improper behavior and continue deportation.
In terms of your assertion about, "p problem, " I do not know what you are talking about. Seems the only one with a "p problem" are those that break the law.

You wrote, "Studies have been done that most crimes are committed by citizens, not illegals."
1) How long have the jails been studied for who is an illegal alien inside?
Few months of Secure Communites in Cook County?
Your studies are flawed
2) 296 million legal Americans, 12 million illegals, I would certainly hope that most crimes are commited by legal Americans

[Elizabeth Lutrell]

11:41 AM on 09/10/2011

DUI? If the drunk illegal with no license or insurance hit your child, you wouldn't be calling it "nonviolent". In the last couple weeks alone, 3 people were killed in my area by illegal aliens driving drunk. But it was "nonviolent". WTF

[CrestedSparrow]

12:35 PM on 09/07/2011

Total misrepresentation and fear mongering. Even your link to the Garcias wanted on warrants proves ridiculous as most were arrested for driving without a license or DUI.

[IllTakeTheRedEye]

07:36 PM on 09/08/2011

You wrote, "Total misrepresentation"

Describes you well. I provided facts. What facts did you provide?
Zero? Yup. I saw your opinion, and that was all you gave.

You wrote, "and fear mongering"

Nope.
I presented some facts. If you are afraid that is your problem.
I stated "Garcia" has a conflict of interest.
I stated that "Garcia" needs to provide what the total cost of recidivism per year is regarding foreign nationals that are not authorized to be in the USA to begin with, but have been arrested for law breaking.

You wrote, "Even your link to the Garcias wanted on warrants proves ridiculous"

Only in your mind.
You did not review every arrest in Cook County, you do not know what you are talking about.

Furthermore, my point was that 80% within this sample have a Latino last name, and have open warrants. If it was minority profiling, wouldn't the open warrant break down be, 40% blacks, 40% Latinos, 10% Asian, Native American, Alaska Native, etc.? Instead it was clearly 80% Latino. Only 44% of Cook is "White," therefore open warrants should not be 80% Latino if it were minority profliing, 56% of Cook is minority, and only 24% of Cook is Latino. 

You wrote, "as most were arrested for driving without a license or DUI."

Prove it was "most." That is your opinion and nothing else.
I provided numbers, where is your break down of all 904. Don't have it? Yup!
Because you did not provide it earlier than today, that shows that you gave a biased opinion of 904 warrants, instead of actually looking at every warrant and doing the proper tabulations.

Nice attempt to marginalize, but you actually only marginalized yourself.

[spytheweb]

01:11 AM on 09/05/2011

Cook County elected these people who are going to release criminals back on the street, the people get what they deserve.

[KadejaLatefah]

08:47 PM on 09/04/2011

seriously?? is chicago an island??? we bully teachers into longer days, free federal criminals, and cut the police force??? what is wrong with this picture????

[maylane22]

10:43 PM on 09/04/2011

Wait the criminals are 'undocumented' and as such belong to 'ICE' and the president has already told everyone to NOT do their job. So what is Cook County to do? They sure do not have the funds to hold them.

[spytheweb]

11:30 AM on 09/05/2011

Give them 2 meals a day, double them up. Maybe they will think twice and not want to come back again.

[Buellers Ferris]

10:46 PM on 09/04/2011

"what is wrong with this picture???­?"

Decades of Democrat rule.

[cathyvv]

10:23 PM on 09/06/2011

I guess you forget that Reagan wanted and got amnesty in 1986, and Bush pushed for amnesty for illegal aliens in 2007. This is not a Democrat/Republican thing - it's a politicians pandering to their biggest supporters - business that wants the cheapest possible labor. That's trickle down economics for you...what trickles down is urine on the LEGAL American citizens.