Ramsey County Jail Wouldn’t House Undocumented Immigrants

Ramsey County jail will no longer detain suspected undocumented immigrants for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), until the county evaluates the moral and economic impact, County Sheriff, Bob Fletcher, said on Wednesday, according to Pioneer Press.

The proposal came from Commissioner Rafael Ortega, of St. Paul, in the wake of recent ICE raids on six Swift & Co. plants nationwide, including one in Worthington, Minn., where 230 suspected undocumented workers were arrested.

The county has pocketed $2 million last year for detaining an average of 60 undocumented immigrants per day. But what raised the ire of Ortega is that undocumented immigrants are held far too long than the four-day average stay for other inmates. One ICE detainee spent more than a year in the county facility.

County Commissioners are expected to come up with the full proposal next month.