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Becky Bruce reportingThe state of Utah is spending nearly $8 million a year to keep 300 illegal immigrants in prison, but the numbers don't tell the whole story.
Angie Welling, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Corrections, says, "While it sounds like a lot of money, and certainly $8 million is a lot of money, in the overall scheme of things it's not as big as it may seem at first glance."
The Utah Department of Corrections only got back about $550,000 from the federal government for locking up undocumented workers last year.
But spokeswoman Angie Welling says it's only about 5 percent of the total inmate population, and the state prison treats them equally. She says, "They do their time. If ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has placed a detainer on that person, they're deported once they've finished serving their time here in the state."
Funding from the feds used to be much greater -- topping out at more than $2 million before 2001. Welling can't say for sure what changed, but she says one thing hasn't. "We will do what we need to do to see that justice is served.
The Department of Corrections says it costs about $23,000 a year to incarcerate one inmate.
To view the breakdown of funding the Utah Department of Corrections receives from the federal government for incarcerating illegal immigrants, click the related link.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
