AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Non-U.S. citizens imprisoned in Texas have begun seeking expedited parole even though the system to release and deport them is not in place, officials say.
A law allowing early parole for foreigners as long as they are immediately returned to their home countries took effect Sept. 1. Rissie Owens, chairman of the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, told the Austin American-Statesman officials are still working out the details.
About 11,500 of the 154,000 inmates in Texas's state prisons were born outside the United States, costing the state $200 million.
The aim of the law is to save the state money.
State Rep. Jerry Madden, the law's author, said inmates have been applying for early release in large numbers: "It's amazing how quickly some people can change their mind about being in this country when they might be able to use it to get out of prison, isn't it? The rush of applications appears to be on. I never expected it."
