Walker County has submitted an application to immigration officials in the US, to give housing to undocumented immigrants who have been charged with crimes.
On Friday, Sheriff, Clint McRae said that he and Captain Steve Fisher had had a recent meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security agents. The meeting was about the idea that 20 beds in the Walker County Jail could be leased to the US government for criminal undocumented immigrants likely to be deported from the US. With the Trump administration continuing to get tough on illegal immigration, an increased need to find places for undocumented immigrants who are facing criminal charges has emerged.
McRae says that they were approached to discuss the possibility of housing undocumented immigrants until they were retrieved by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This would generally be for no longer than 30 days and would include local violations or possibly even inmates from other counties. A similar contract is held by Walker County with Hays County, for inmates who are waiting to be transferred to a facility with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. For this, the county charges $37 per day for each inmate.
The Sheriff says that Walker County could earn even more than that if they can strike a deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, as the federal government tends to pay higher fees than is the case with other counties.