Who's Imprisoned? Who profits? Who pays?

On July 22, the Burlington, NC Times-News front page headlines read: "Detainees help keep jail full". 319 undocumented people have been detained in the county jail since May when local sheriff's deputies adopted immigration enforcement roles.

In January North Carolina passed legislation whereby local sheriff's departments are mandated to carry out Homeland Security's ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) tasks. On any given day since May, 80-90 undocumented people are held in the Burlington jail. The facility is filled well beyond capacity and pulling in $61 per day per ICE detainee. "ICE detainees have already brought in more than $183,000-about $152,622 in June."

"It's a perpetual door, but that's the way it's designed when you are having a turnover of individuals but no change in numbers," a Sheriff spokesman commented. The article reports that ICE officials have been hesitant to talk to the media about the program and that "operating largely in secret, ICE has 10 immigration deputies working at the Alamance County jail. The sheriff's department has no control over when ICE detainees are brought in, or how many. No one knows when ICE vans come and go, and there is no set schedule."

Of the 319 ICE detainees held in May, 149 lived in Alamance county. The article closed with a sheriff's department spokesman comment:"Residents are not citizens."