HOUSTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Prosecutions on immigrations-related charges have increased by 345 percent in the southern Texas district from fiscal year 2003 to 2004.
A report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse found 80 percent of the 16,000 captured immigrants were prosecuted for illegal entry into the United States, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The U.S. Attorney's Southern District of Texas runs from Laredo to Brownsville and down to the Mexico border and is one of six border districts.
Justice Department officials attribute the increase to more referrals to them from border agents and better record keeping.
Meredith Linsky, director of the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, said the increased prosecution is a hardship on public defenders and crowds the court system with misdemeanors that carry a 30-day maximum jail sentence.
The charges represent a new trend in border security in the district.
One particular immigration charge has seen a dramatic increase. Three-hundred four immigrants were charged with illegal entry in 2003. In 2004, nearly 14,000 were.
