New immigration policy fills Texas jails

DEL RIO, Texas, May 25 (UPI) -- Jails and prisons in Texas are brimming with illegal immigrants caught and detained as part of a zero-tolerance policy in some areas, officials say.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday that in Del Rio, Texas, the Val Verde County Jail, for example, is filled with illegal immigrants ranging from would-be yard workers and maids to dangerous gang members.

The immigrants were caught as part of Operation Streamline, a zero-tolerance illegal entry program that began in Val Verde County and has spread to other border communities, the newspaper said.

"Enforcement works," Val Verde County Sheriff D'Wayne Jernigan said. "We're definitely seeing a reduction in crime throughout the border area and a reduction in the number of aliens running loose in our community."

Jernigan said the number of people trying to sneak into the United States has slowed in his jurisdiction even without a border fence.

Eight years ago, his jail had 180 beds. This year, after a second 600-bed expansion, the jail has room for 1,425 prisoners

Two prisons for federal detainees are going up along the U.S.-Mexico border. A 654-bed unit in Eagle Pass, Texas, and a 1,500-bed jail in Laredo, Texas, are nearing completion.