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Date Posted: 20:25:54 02/28/08 Thu
Author: JMR
Subject: Probation s Costly

newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-liimmi0229,0,2441005.story

Newsday.com
Undocumented immigrants on probation cost Suffolk $350G
BY REID J. EPSTEIN

reid.epstein@newsday.com

11:10 PM EST, February 28, 2008

Up to 95 percent of undocumented immigrants recommended for deportation by the Suffolk probation department remain in the county, placing the financial burden of monitoring them on the county, Suffolk's probation director said Thursday.

The probation department spends up to $375,000 annually to supervise as many as 225 undocumented immigrants, including 36 sex offenders, John Desmond told the Suffolk Legislature's Public Safety Committee.

Despite this, Desmond said the county is working "closer than ever before" with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes, adding that ICE does not have the resources to handle more of the county's "criminal aliens."

But an ICE spokesman maintained the federal agency deports every person referred to it that ICE verifies is undocumented, though he said he could not speak specifically about Suffolk.

Michael Keegan, a New York ICE spokesman, said he could not produce figures for deportations from Suffolk, but he denied the county's claim that ICE does not deport every illegal immigrant on probation.

"I'm going to refute that assertion," Keegan said.

Legislators reacted with outrage at hearing undocumented immigrants are being monitored by the county's probation department rather than being deported by federal officials.

"This is absolute lunacy," Minority Leader Daniel Losquadro (R-Shoreham) said. "This is the most counterintuitive, insane thing I have ever heard."

And Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) said the county should not wait to try to deport undocumented immigrants after they are released from jail, but should do so immediately upon sentencing.

"If we can deport people for lesser crimes, why pay for three square meals a day when we don't have to?" she said.

County Executive Steve Levy said the county has no choice but to monitor undocumented immigrants on probation because federal officials do not deport all of them.

"I've been jumping up and down and screaming about the fact that we locals have to foot the bill because the feds won't pick up all of these people that we report to them," Levy said. "I wish we could deport them all, but that's not happening."

Desmond Thursday also revealed he launched a working group in December to deal with issues presented by undocumented immigrants on probation. Levy said he was not aware of the group before Thursday and directed it to deal exclusively with trying to deport more offenders.

"This group is directed only to help expedite deportation," Levy said.

Since taking office in 2004, Levy has turned a countywide crackdown on illegal immigration into a signature political issue. Indeed the Suffolk probation department has a closer working relationship with federal immigration officials now than it ever did before, Desmond said.

ICE enforcement agents are now stationed at the Suffolk jail in Riverhead.

Levy stressed the county must continue to deport undocumented immigrants in general and pass legislation like Legis. Brian Beedenbender's (D-Centereach) proposal to require licensed contractors to affirm their workers are legal.

A parade of immigrant activists, union leaders and contractors spoke against Beedenbender's proposal in front of the legislature's Consumer Protection Committee Thursday.

Legis. Thomas Barraga (R-West Islip) said legislators are wasting their time discussing the bill, which is scheduled to have a public hearing Tuesday.

"We should not be endorsing any legislation that puts further impediments on the economic well-being of Suffolk County," Barraga said. "And this bill does exactly that."

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