Nevada high court justice proposes inmate deportations

By: Associated Press -

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A Nevada Supreme Court justice is meeting with prison, parole and pardons board officials to devise a plan to deport inmates held in Nevada prisons who were in the country illegally when they committed their crimes.

Sending the inmates out of the U.S. could save the state about $10 million annually in housing costs at a time when Nevada's overcrowded prisons are reaching crisis levels, said Justice Jim Hardesty.

But an expert in immigration law said Wednesday the plan could result in the forced deportation of some inmates who might be allowed to stay in the country after their release because of their living situation or time in U.S.

While it could save the state money, it may mean deporting illegal immigrant felons who committed minor offenses such as drug possession, had lived in the state a long time, are married with children or have a job, said Vito de la Cruz, a federal public defender who handles deportation cases.

I don't understand the problem here. These inmates were criminals before they committed the offenses that landed them in jail - they entered the country illegally! So no matter how long they illegally lived here or illegally worked here before that committed whatever crime put them behind bars, they still violated federal law by entering the country without permission. Deport them or make Mexico pay for their incarceration! -mm