RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced $26,950 in federal funding for Starr County.
According to the Office of Justice Programs, the funds are to cover costs incurred due to the incarceration of “undocumented criminal aliens.”
“I want to thank the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs for awarding Starr County funds from their SCAAP [State Criminal Alien Assistance Program],” said Starr County Sheriff Rene “Orta” Fuentes. “This will help alleviate some of the financial burdens placed on the county from the incarceration of undocumented persons.”
The DOJ said under the program, payments were made in connection to “undocumented criminal aliens” who had been convicted of at least one felony or two misdemeanors (typically for violations of state or local law) and who were incarcerated for at least four consecutive days.
The funds are used to cover the costs of operating correctional facilities—including worker salaries, building repair or maintenance and transporting incarcerated individuals, the news release stated.
