Sheriff Receives Grant To House Illegal Immigrants

October 13, 2009
Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls has received $7,438.00 in funds from State Criminal Alien Assistance Grant (SCAAP) through the US Department of Justice.

SCAAP provides funding to states and localities that incurred correctional officer salary costs for incarcerating illegal immigrants who have at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions. In addition, the inmate must have served at least four consecutive days in the county jail during the reporting period and must have a foreign place of birth.

The Sheriffs Office applied for the grant earlier this year. The reporting period for eligibility was July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. The US Department of Homeland Security approved the grant funds for the Marshall County Jail.

Sheriff Scott Walls stated that, “These acquired grant funds are an integral part of dealing with the burgeoning costs of housing criminal aliens in Marshall County. Our management and partnership with I.C.E., along with this funding, goes a long way toward relieving the tax burden which would otherwise be borne by Marshall County taxpayers.” For FY 2007, the average per diem rate was $30.30 per day per inmate. Sheriff Walls further states that obtaining these grant funds is one of the many ways the Sheriffs Office is assisting in the illegal immigration problem in Marshall County.

In addition, Sheriff Walls has applied for the 287(g) program with the United States Immigration Service. The Sheriff feels the program would be a great asset to the Marshall County Jail by enabling the Sheriffs Office to immediately process illegal immigrants booked into the Marshall County Jail. Currently, the sheriff’s office must contact ICE in order to have the inmates deported. The process is long and complicated. If granted 287(g) status, both the deputies and jailers would receive training and procedures dealing with illegal immigrants.