Speech #1100059230

I would like to read from a press release that was issued from the Office of SheriffCoroner Mike Carona. This press release was issued just last month relative to the effectiveness of the program that is the subject of the lady from Virginias amendment. It says. "Since the inception of Orange County Sheriff Michael Caronas crossdesignation program in January 2007. deputies have increased the number of immigration holds by more than 400 percent. from approximately 350 to over 1.600. Of this amount. more than 1.000 of the undocumented individuals who were booked into Orange County jail were charged with felony law violations. and over 100 were known gang members." Now. Mr. Chairman. this is fact. that since the Orange County sheriffs department participated in this program and had its deputies trained on how to enforce our illegal immigration laws. they have taken off the street 1.600 illegal aliens. 1.000 of whom were felons. So because of this program. there are 1.000 fewer illegal immigrant felons walking the streets in Orange County. California. That is not theory. That is not conjecture. That is actually fact. Also. in the city of Costa Mesa. which I do not represent. but is represented by Congressman ROHRAnAOHER. but its adjacent to my district. theyve recently trained their officers in enforcing immigration laws. and between March and May of 2007. they identified and placed containers on 146 illegal immigrants in the city jail. and of this amount. 53 had committed felonies. Now. this is in addition to the 1.000 felons that I talked about before. because its a separate jurisdiction. a separate city police force dealing with their jurisdiction within the County of Orange. So.