Oregon legislation

Marion County Correctional Facility Population - What You Need to Know

What follows is information taken from the Marion County Sheriff / Marion County Correctional Facility (MCCF) website for Inmate / Offender Information, Full Jail Inmate Roster, relating to the number of MCCF prisoners the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has identified as possibly being in the county illegally, U.S. DHS–ICE prisoners charged with drug crimes, and the approximate incarceration cost to Marion County to house its U.S. DHS–ICE jail population.


Total MCCF Inmates: 406

Total MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold: 39

Percent MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold: 9.60%

Total MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL METH: 3

Percent MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL METH: 7.69%

Total MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL HERION: 2

Percent MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL HERION: 5.13%

Total MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL COCAINE: 1

Percent MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL COCAINE: 2.56%

Total MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL MARIJUANA: 0

Percent MCCF Inmates with ICE Hold POS/DEL MARIJUANA: 0.00%

MCCF Incarceration Cost Per Inmate Per Day: $107.74

MCCF Incarceration Cost Per Day of 39 Inmates with ICE Holds: $4,201.86

MCCF Incarceration Cost Per Week of 39 Inmates with ICE Holds: $29,413.02

MCCF Incarceration Cost Per Year of 39 Inmates with ICE Holds: $1,533,678.90

  Read more about Marion County Correctional Facility Population - What You Need to Know

You can make a difference!

Alert date: 
October 11, 2012
Alert body: 

October 16th is the last day you can register to vote in Oregon.  Please make certain you are registered if you have moved, changed your name or aren't certain you are registered.

There are several close races OFIR is watching and your help is needed to make the difference.

Visit oregonvotes.gov for more information.  Your vote is your greatest weapon...use it!

Phony Farm Labor Shortage: We Need to Talk About It

A couple of weeks ago, I pointed out that despite all the talk of a farm labor shortage last summer, American farms had an amazingly profitable year.

Net cash income rose from the record high in 2010 of $99.4 billion to a new record high of $134.7 billion. That’s an eye-popping 35.5 percent profit growth! (Read more:More Data on The Phony Farm Labor Crisis)

I pointed out that in some of the states that had been repeatedly said to be facing a labor shortage—California and Washington, for example—profit growth was even higher. Washington farms saw profits grow by 58 percent, for goodness' sakes.

Yet somehow the myth of a farm labor shortage persists.

I received countless emails arguing that in one way or another, I had missed the orchard for the trees. Folks insist that despite record profitability, there remains a labor shortage.

And, of course, there are now dire predictions that the farm labor shortage of 2011 (which never happened) will be even worse in 2012. My colleague Jane Wells recently reported that the Western Growers Association claims its members are reporting a 20 percent drop in laborers this year. (Read more: California Farm Labor Shortage 'Worst It's Ever Been')

Let’s begin by conceding the idea that the members of the WGA are facing a sharp drop in laborers. Does this imply there is a “labor shortage"?

It certainly implies a labor reduction, but in order for it to count as a “shortage” shouldn’t that mean that work isn’t getting done or is becoming too expensive? Alternatively, shouldn’t it mean that it is creating food shortages of some sort or damaging the financial health of farmers?

To put it differently, if fruit is rotting on the vine, how do we explain these outsize farm profits? Are the farmers merely complaining that they could have been even more profitable if they had more laborers?

Let’s say that’s the case. Suppose California farmers, who saw a 45 percent profit rise last year, would have been even more profitable if they had more laborers available to them. It’s impossible to see why this should be a public policy concern.

One way to test if there is a labor shortage on farms would be to look at the labor cost. If farms were truly struggling to find enough workers, their labor costs would be skyrocketing. But that isn’t what’s happening.

The costs of workers hired directly by the farms didn’t grow at all between 2010 and 2011, according to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture. It contracted 3.8 percent, from $23.5 billion to $22.6 billion. Next year it is forecast by the Department of Agriculture to shrink by another 2.1 percent. In light of the rising revenues and profits of farms, this is not a labor market experiencing a worker shortage.

What’s more, the total cost of hired labor on farms nationwide is still below pre-crisis levels, while farm profits are well above pre-crisis levels. This implies that far from farms seeing a labor shortage, there’s something of a farm labor glut going on.

In California last year, despite all the talk of a farm labor shortage, hired labor costs dropped from $6.2 billion to $5.4 billion—a 12 percent fall. This isn’t what happens in a labor shortage.

There has been some wage inflation in a far smaller segment of the farm labor market: the contract labor market. This is the market for workers employed by third-party operators who supply labor to farmers, mostly for seasonal work such as harvesting.

Farms nationwide saw contract labor costs rise from 3.9 billion in 2010 to 4.5 billion in 2011, a rise of 15 percent. That might put some farmers off a bit, having to pay the guy supplying workers 15 percent more. But revenues were rising even faster, which is why profits grew so explosively.

In California, contract labor costs grew 19 percent. While that seems astounding, it growth pales in comparison with the growth of profits at California farms. There may be fewer laborers than farmers would like, but this isn’t a crisis by any means. The farm owners are doing quite well for themselves and shouldn't be shocked that the migrant laborers are also demanding to share in the bounty.

It’s just basic economics. The overall cost of labor on farms is falling. The cost of seasonal labor is rising but at a rate far less than revenues. That implies that supply of labor is outstripping demand. Which is to say, farmers may be screaming about labor shortages but their checkbooks are telling a very different story. Read more about Phony Farm Labor Shortage: We Need to Talk About It

Congress extends E-Verify for 3 more years with near-unanimous support

Oh, how things have changed in just a few years.

It was just 3 years ago that an E-Verify extension was in doubt, making Thursday's near-unanimous House approval so significant.

To be clear, neither action was about mandating E-Verify for all employers. But for the government to even be allowed to offer E-Verify for voluntary use, the extensions had to be passed in 2009 and again this month.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved, with almost unanimous support, a bill that extends E-Verify for another 3 years. The electronic employment verification program, which NumbersUSA believes would have the biggest impact in ending the flow of illegal immigration to the United States, is set to expire at the end of the month, but, now that it's passed through both chambers of Congress, we fully expect Pres. Obama to sign the extension into law.

The extension was offered in the Senate, by Democratic Senator Pat Leahy, where it passed with unanimous consent. The bill then showed up on Tuesday's House calendar under a House procedure called "Suspension of the Rules". The House suspends the rules when House Leaders believe the bill is "non-controversial" and has support of at least two-thirds of its Members. When the bill is brought to the floor, a motion to suspend the rules is raised. No amendments are offered and a two-thirds vote is required for passage. In many instances, there's no roll call, just a voice vote. After coming to the floor on Tuesday, the vote was delayed until Thursday when it passed by a 412-to-3 margin .

E-Verify is now officially, in the minds of Congress and its Leaders, "non-controversial". The E-Verify extension didn't come without compromise, though. The bill also extends three small visa programs, including religious worker visas, investor visas, and cultural exchange visas.

Why was today's vote such a big deal? Three years ago, an extension of the E-Verify program was a bit more contentious.

It was set to expire in March of 2009, so lawmakers began working on an extension in the fall of 2008. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, however, wouldn't lift a hold he placed on the extension without a massive increase in green cards, so Congress kicked the E-Verify can down the road until the spring.

Facing expiration at the end of March 2009, a new debate started during the Senate's consideration of a must-pass, omnibus spending bill earlier in the month. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama offered a 5-year E-Verify extension as an amendment, but a motion to table the amendment was raised - ironically by Sen. Leahy. The motion to table passed by a 50-to-47 margin, but Congress did gave E-Verify a 6-month lifeline by extending the program through September 2009.

In June 2009, the debate surfaced again with the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee including a 2-year reauthorization in its markup of the DHS spending bill for 2010. The bill would eventually pass through the House.

In July 2009, Sen. Sessions offered an amendment during the Senate's consideration of the DHS spending bill, but this amendment would permanently reauthorize E-Verify. Again, a motion to table Sen. Sessions amendment was raised, but unlike in the spring, and with the unemployment rate soaring, the motion was defeated by a 44-to-53 margin. (Read Roy's analysis of the vote.)

The DHS spending bill, however, never became law, and it wasn't until a continuing resolution passed in October 2009 that E-Verify was re-authorized.

So after all the drama of 2009, here we are in the first week of legislative business after a month-long summer recess, and the House has quietly passed a bill, without controversy, that will extend E-Verify through September of 2015.

We would have liked a permanent reauthorization of E-Verify like the one Sen. Sessions offered back in 2009, but an extension of E-Verify before it expired and without controversy is a major improvement over 2009, and maybe one small step towards a nationwide mandate of E-Verify for all employers in the future. Read more about Congress extends E-Verify for 3 more years with near-unanimous support

E-Verify needed now more than ever

It seems like only yesterday when we were calling members of Congress asking them to extend the E-Verify program. Those of you who were members in 2009 likely recall that it looked as if E-Verify was going to die. Thanks to your actions and phone calls from thousands of citizens we saved it. Look what happened last week when the reauthorization came up for another vote. What a different story this year!

This past Thursday the House of Representatives passed a three-year extension of E-Verify by a 412 to 3 vote. It passed the Senate by a unanimous consent vote.

At the Oregon Legislature Representative Kim Thatcher is going to introduce an E-Verify bill for next year’s session.  American citizens should not have to compete at any time for jobs against workers who are illegally in the country. It is unconscionable that during the worst recession since the Great Depression that American workers are faced with precisely that situation. E-Verify is needed now more than ever.

Read more in this great write up from NumbersUSA Read more about E-Verify needed now more than ever

1,240 foreign nationals (criminal aliens) incarcerated in DOC prison system

According to the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) Inmate Population Profile dated August 1, 2012 DOC indicated there were 14,215 prisoners incarcerated in DOC’s 14 prisons (See attachment).

Not included in DOC’s August 1st Inmate Population Profile was DOC data indicating there were 1,240 foreign nationals (criminal aliens) incarcerated in its prison system (See attachment).

All 1,240 criminal aliens incarcerated on August 1st by DOC had United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detainers. The U.S. DHS–ICE is responsible for identifying whether a DOC inmate is a criminal alien or a domestic inmate. If an inmate is identified as being a criminal alien, at U.S. DHS–ICE’s request, the DOC places an “ICE detainer” on the inmate that directs DOC officials to transfer custody to ICE following completion of the inmate’s state sanction.

Criminal aliens made up approximately 8.72% of the DOC August 1st prison population (See table).

 

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Month/Day/Year

DOC Total Inmates

DOC Domestic Inmates

DOC Inmates W/ICE detainers

DOC % Inmates W/ICE detainers

August 1, 2008

13,595

12,518

1,077

7.92%

August 1, 2009

13,903

12,687

1,216

8.75%

August 1, 2010

14,054

12,809

1,245

8.86%

August 1, 2011

14,027

12,810

1,217

8.68%

August 1, 2012

14,215

12,975

1,240

8.72%

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Unit-ICE inmates lists 01 AUGUST 08rtf – 01 AUGUST 12.rtf and Inmate Population Profile 01 AUGUST 08 – 01 AUGUST 12.

Comparing DOC criminal alien incarceration numbers from August 1, 2008 (1,077 criminal aliens) and August 1, 2012 (1,240 criminal aliens), the DOC prison system incarcerated 163 criminal aliens more than it did on August 1, 2008, a 15.13% increase (See table).
 

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Month/Day/Year

DOC Total Inmates W/ICE detainers

DOC Inmates W/ICE detainers # Increase or (Decrease) from Previous Year

DOC Inmates W/ICE detainers % Increase or (Decrease) from Previous Year

August 1, 2008

1,077

————

————

August 1, 2009

1,216

139

12.91%

August 1, 2010

1,245

29

2.38%

August 1, 2011

1,217

(28)

(2.25%)

August 1, 2012

1,240

23

1.89%

Total

163

15.13%

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Unit-ICE inmates lists 01 AUGUST 08 – 01 AUGUST 12 and Inmate Population Profile 01 AUGUST 08 – 01 AUGUST 12.

When comparing DOC domestic criminal incarceration numbers from August 1, 2008 (12,518 domestic criminals) and August 1, 2012 (12,975 domestic criminals), the DOC prison system incarcerated 457 domestic criminals more than it did on August 1, 2008, a 3.65%% increase (See table).
 

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Month/Day/Year

DOC Total Domestic Inmates

DOC Domestic Inmates # Increase or (Decrease) from Previous Year

DOC Domestic Inmates % Increase or (Decrease) from Previous Year

August 1, 2008

12,518

————

————

August 1, 2009

12,687

169

1.35%

August 1, 2010

12,809

122

0.96%

August 1, 2011

12,810

1

0.01%

August 1, 2012

12,975

165

1.29%

Total

457

3.65%

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Unit-ICE inmates lists 01 AUGUST 08 – 01 AUGUST 12 and Inmate Population Profile 01 AUGUST 08 – 01 AUGUST 12.

A review of the 1,240 criminal aliens in DOC prisons by number per county and percentage (%) per county equated to the following: 0-Baker (0.00%), 14-Benton (1.13%), 86-Clackamas (6.93%), 8-Clatsop (0.64%), 1-Columbia (0.08%), 9-Coos (0.72%), 3-Crook (0.24%), 1-Curry (0.08%), 17-Deschutes (1.37%), 5-Douglas (0.40%), 1-Gilliam (0.08%), 1-Grant (0.08%), 3-Harney (0.24%), 6-Hood River (0.48%), 47-Jackson (3.79%), 13-Jefferson (1.05%), 11-Josephine (0.89%), 10-Klamath (0.81%), 0-Lake (0.00), 68-Lane (5.48%), 8-Lincoln (0.64%), 28-Linn (2.26%), 10-Malheur (0.81%), 279-Marion (22.50%), 7-Morrow (0.56%), 280-Multnomah (22.58%), 1-OOS (0.08%), 19-Polk (1.53%), 0-Sherman (0.00%), 3-Tillamook (0.24%), 23-Umatilla (1.85%), 2-Union (0.16), 0-Wallowa (0.00%), 4-Wasco (0.32%), 238-Washington (19.19%), 0-Wheeler (0.00%), and 34-Yamhill (2.74%).

No member of the Oregon State Legislature should forget the uncounted crime victims and their families, no matter what their immigration status, all victims of the 1,240 criminal aliens incarcerated in DOC prisons.

A review of the 1,240 criminal aliens in the DOC prison population by numbers per crime and percentage (%) per crime equated to the following: 4-arsons (0.32%), 131-assaults (10.56%), 25-burglaries (2.02%), 29-driving offenses (2.34%), 171-drugs (13.79%), 4-forgeries (0.32%), 154-homicides (12.42%), 50-kidnappings (4.03%), 69-others (5.56%), 178-rapes (14.35%), 81-robberies (6.53%), 230-sex abuses (18.55%), 95-sodomies (7.66%), 12-thefts (0.97%), and 7-vehicle thefts (0.56%).

Oregon State Legislators should not overlook the source of the preceding crimes, the country of origin of the 1,240 criminal aliens in DOC prisons.

The self-declared counties of origin of the 1,240 criminal aliens in the DOC prison population by numbers and percentage (%) per country equated to the following: 9-Canada (0.72%), 12-Cuba (0.97%), 17-El Salvador (1.37%), 32-Guatemala (2.58%), 12-Honduras (0.97%), 7-Laos (0.56%), 1,017-Mexico (82.02%), 89-others (7.18%), 6-Philippines (0.48% ), 8-Russia (0.64%), 13-Ukraine (1.05%), and 18-Vietnam (1.45%).

Beyond the DOC criminal alien incarceration numbers and incarceration percentages, per county and per crime type, or even country of origin, criminal aliens pose high economic cost on Oregonians.

An individual prisoner in the DOC prison system costs approximately ($82.48) per day to incarcerate (See link).

http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/PUBAFF/docs/pdf/IB_53_quick_facts.pdf

The DOC’s incarceration cost for its 1,240 criminal alien prison population is approximately ($102,275.20) per day, ($715,926.40) per week, and ($37,330,448.00) per year.

Even taking into account fiscal year 2011 United States Federal Government State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) award of $2,669,738.00 if the State of Oregon receives the same amount of SCAAP funding for fiscal year 2012, the cost to incarcerate 1,240 criminal aliens to the DOC will be at least ($34,660,710.00) (See link).

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/11SCAAPAwards.pdf

None of my preceding cost estimates for the DOC to incarcerate the 1,240 criminal aliens include the dollar amount for legal services (indigent defense), court costs, nor cost estimates to cover victim assistance.


An unfortunate fact, the State of Oregon is not fully cooperating with the U.S. DHS–ICE to fight crime committed by criminal aliens who reside in Oregon.

In year 2007, a United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) report titled “Cooperation of SCAAP (State Criminal Alien Assistance Program) Recipients in the Removal of Criminal Aliens from the United States, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General Audit Division, Audit Report 07-07, August 2007, Redacted-Public Version” identified the State of Oregon as having an official “state sanctuary statute,” ORS 181.850 Enforcement of federal immigration laws (See link).

http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/reports/OJP/a0707/final.pdf

The USDOJ, the federal governments top law enforcement agency, identified Oregon as a “sanctuary” for criminal aliens.

An Oregon law, Oregon Revised Statue 181.850 (ORS 181.850), Section (1), prohibits Oregon law enforcement (Oregon State Police (OSP), county sheriffs, city police departments) from asking immigration status of anyone residing in the State of Oregon “for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.” Under ORS 181.850, Section (2), Oregon law enforcement may exchange information with U.S. DHS–ICE . . . “in order to: Subsection (a), “Verify the immigration status of a person if the person is arrested for any criminal offense;” or, Subsection (b), “Request criminal investigation information with reference to persons named in records of the” U.S. DHS–ICE . . . (See link).

http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/181.html

The State of Oregon should no longer be classified by U.S. federal government law enforcement as having an official “state sanctuary statute” for criminal aliens, nor should Oregon be a sanctuary for criminal aliens to kill, rape, or maim Oregonians.

I ask the Oregon Legislature to please introduce, support, and pass legislation to fight foreign national crime in the next Oregon State Legislature legislative session.
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