Texas immigration detention requests surged in February

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The number of detention requests in Texas for jailed immigrants in the country without authorization surged in February, making it the largest recorded monthly increase on record.

The state that month saw the number of inmates with immigration detention requests, or detainers, rise nearly 57 percent, from 2,989 to 4,684.

It’s the largest monthly increase since the Texas Commission on Jail Standards began recording the data in 2011.

The Austin American-Statesman reports (https://atxne.ws/2o0bAvY ) the total number of Texas inmates with detainers requested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still far below an August 2012 peak when county jails held about 6,200 people.

But experts say they expect current numbers to rise even higher as ICE follows stricter immigration policies pushed by President Donald Trump.

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Information from: Austin American-Statesman, https://www.statesman.com