Senate OKs Permanent INS Agents at City Jail

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that would permanently place Immigration and Naturalization Service agents at the Anaheim City Jail to screen for illegal immigrants.

The legislation, originally sponsored by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and passed late Thursday, also mandates a permanent screening program at Ventura County Jail and includes funds to expand the program to 100 local jurisdictions nationwide.

Anaheim leaders urged President Clinton to sign the legislation into law.

“[Anaheim’s] pilot program proved successful,” Councilman Bob Zemel said. “Anybody that calls this program anything but a crime-fighting tool is pandering and not paying attention to the facts. It’s simply a criminal justice issue and there’s no reason the president should not sign it.”

Under the program, prisoners are screened by INS agents before they go to court and illegal immigrants are tagged for deportation once they serve their sentences. The city’s pilot program, in place for almost two years, has identified 5,500 criminals for deportation.