Remote Video Immigration Screening

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Sheriff’s Criminal Illegal Alien Identification Processing unit is comprised of nine specially trained and certified staff that identifies criminal illegal aliens in the County jail system and turns them over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. Identifying the inmates as immigration offenders also ensures that the County has accurate data when requesting federal reimbursement for housing such offenders. The specialized ICE unit only exists at the County’s West Valley Detention Center and, in order to identify all criminal illegal aliens held throughout the county, it is necessary to also screen detainees at four outlying jails. Transporting detainees to the WVDC for screening from the outlying jails represents significant costs due to the distance between the facilities, which is up to 93 miles per trip, one way. Without this Remove Video Immigration Screening program, it would have been necessary to hire and train additional staff at each location to perform ICE screening. This innovative program uses technology to fill service gaps by remotely screening detainees in outlying jails using existing ICE certified staff and saving the cost of additional staff.