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This isn't quite as bad as the article lets on. These arrests were part of a major sting on IFCO Systems, a German based pallet services company. Hundreds of people were arrested across the country, even several of the managers who for the most part appear to be Americans. It's not good that they had to release so many illegals in Houston, but at least they've been charged and if they fail to appear for court they'll have warrants against them. And our law does say that you are innocent until proven guilty. It is entirely possible that some of these people were here legally.

The claim that these people had to be released because of jail overcrowding is certainly not entirely unbelievable to me. Our jails around where I live are in the same boat. We had people packed like sardines sleeping on concrete floors until recently when our jail administrators were ordered to keep the facility at or below rated capacity or be shut down. People today are getting signature bonds or really low bonds in cases where bonds would have been set at several thousand dollars only a few months ago. Those convicted of misdemeanors who before would have gotten jail time as part of their sentences pretty much have nothing to worry about as far as the possibility of jail now because there is no room for people to serve misdemeanor sentences. The jail is too full of those awaiting prison bed space that won't open up for months. This kind of thing is happening everywhere. We've been building new prisons at a record pace for almost thirty years now but we still can't keep up with the huge increase in prison populations we've seen over the same period.

The situation is getting bad. Not only are we not able to keep illegal aliens locked up for being in our country without permission, but we're having to let people go who have committed far worse crimes. With respect to the illegal aliens, a big part of the reason we're having to let even those who have committed more serious crimes go is because of prison and jail overcrowding, but another big problem is that INS just won't do their jobs. There are several illegal aliens in our jail right now who will plead guilty to serious misdemeanors and even some fairly serious felonies, but when they finish serving their jail time or plead to probation or suspended sentences, they'll be released from the jail even though INS knows these known criminals are there. They'll have an "INS hold" on them, meaning the jail is supposed to hold them so INS can come pick them up. The problem is that INS never comes and the county jail can't keep them both because they don't have the room and because immigration matters are matters of federal jurisdiction. If the feds won't come in and do their jobs, state and local facilities can't just keep these people forever for the feds who quite likely will never come and get them. It's bad enough that the feds won't do anything about those illegal aliens just here to work, but that they won't do anything about these known criminals sitting in our jails ready for them to pick up is absolutely unforgivable. The state and local guys can only do so much, and at least where I am illegal aliens get absolutely no special treatment when they are brought up on crimes under state and/or local jurisdiction. In fact, more often than not they are going to be punished more severely than locals who get in trouble because the police don't like illegals, prosecutors don't like them, judges don't like them, and jurors sure as heck don't like them.