Irving City Council Endorses Criminal Alien Program

Irving City Council Endorses Criminal Alien Program

The Irving City Council has approved the Criminal Alien Program (CAP) as the Irving Police Department’s official policy for addressing prisoners who are not U.S. citizens.

The Police Department initiated an arrangement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September in which an ICE agent made weekly visits to the Irving Jail to determine the residency status of prisoners.

A new process with the Detention and Removal Division of ICE was implemented in April where residency status is reviewed over the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This change has increased the number of illegal aliens identified from an average of 52 to 130 per month.

Every prisoner booked into the Irving Jail is rigorously screened regardless of charges. Those determined to be illegal aliens are released to ICE or transferred to the Dallas County Jail with an ICE hold. Since partnering with ICE, more than 700 illegal aliens have been removed from the Irving Jail.

“Irving is a model community for other cities. As we utilize the Criminal Alien Program, we will continue making strides toward maintaining the safety of our residents,” said Mayor Herbert Gears. “We are extremely pleased with the success and cost-effectiveness that the program has provided our community, and look forward to continued success in the future.”

http://cityofirving.org/corporate-communications/key-focus/articles/public-safety/Council%20Endorses%20CAP.pdf