Authorities are devoting more time and money to identify illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles County jail. The Sheriff's Department is using $500,000 to expand inmate screening and increase the number of staff who conduct interviews from eight to 13.
In recent years, more than 10,000 inmates at the jail have been referred to federal authorities for possible deportation.
Sheriff's officials said the screenings ensure that illegal immigrants who commit crimes are deported, not released back into the community.
But even with the new funds, officials say it won't be enough to interview all the foreign-born inmates.
The Sheriff's Department began interviewing inmates at the beginning of 2006, making Los Angeles County the first in California to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement in the jails.
Roughly 4,000 inmates, or one-fifth of the daily jail population, are foreign-born.