Burning Atlanta

For about the millionth time, EVERY JAIL IN THIS NATION SHOULD SCREEN EVERY ARRESTEE.

Utah

Along the Wasatch Front and in southwest Utah, immigration agents visit jails almost every weekday looking for immigrants who have been arrested by local police. And the patrols are gaining new emphasis.
    In March, immigration agents announced an expansion of the jail program, including improved technology to record fingerprints in a database and alert authorities when a previously arrested immigrant is again booked into a jail.
    The jail patrols also demonstrate a priority for immigration enforcement. Rather than seeking every undocumented immigrant or making frequent raids at workplaces, federal agents are concentrating on immigrants accused of breaking the law after they arrive in the United States.
    "We start off with the most serious cases - the most violent criminals - and work our way down as we can," said Steve Branch, who directs immigrant detention and removal in Utah and three other states.
    Once immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally or violating the terms of their entry have been arrested, federal agents can request a jail hold them without bail, even after their local case is finished. The government can then begin deportation proceedings.