Source:
Chicago TributeCasting the contentious debate over illegal immigration as a fiscal issue, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance that would allow illegal immigrants in jail on misdemeanor charges to go free despite federal requests to have them detained for possible deportation.
The practice of abiding by federal immigration "detainer" requests costs the county roughly $15 million per year, or $143 per person per day, county officials said.
The ordinance was based on a recent federal ruling in Indiana that determined Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers are voluntary requests, not mandatory. It applies to anyone arrested on misdemeanor charges who normally would be released from custody, whether because charges are dropped, a person is found not guilty or because bail has been met.
"It's important to recognize that this is about improving public safety, it's about serving our taxpayers better and it's about keeping families together," said county board president Toni Preckwinkle, who did not vote on the ordinance that passed 10 to 5, but helped push it behind the scenes.
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http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-07/news/chi-county-ordinance-will-end-deportation-referrals-in-misdemeanor-cases-20110907_1_illegal-immigrants-county-board-president-feds