Quandary: Prison officials say this temporary solution masks the larger issue of overcrowding. If the situation compromises staff and inmate safety, the federal government could sue.
"This isn't a new concept," Nevada Department of Corrections Southern Region spokeswoman Suzanne Pardee says. "Currently, when illegal immigrant inmates are released, there are detainers placed on them. ICE [Immigration and Custom Enforcement] is notified, and they are deported. The emphasis is looking at nonviolent offenders and deporting them."
Pardee says half of the 1,000 illegal immigrants in state prisons are nonviolent offenders.
Question: What is the range of deportable offenses? Using pot? Stealing? Drunk driving?
Pardee: "We don't know the range of those nonviolent crimes."
Quandary: Who defines what a deportable offense is?
Pardee: "There is no policy or procedure at this time.