Between Dec. 4 and Dec. 31, immigration agents interviewed 138 people at the Costa Mesa jail and placed detainers on 46 of those people, said Jim Hayes, Los Angeles field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A detainer is placed on someone when "we believe that an individual is in the country unlawfully or has committed a violation of immigration law," Hayes said. He said most of the people who had detainers had been arrested for misdemeanors, burglaries and possession of small amounts of marijuana.
"I think it clearly shows that there has been a significant negative impact from illegal immigration," said Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor, who first suggested the city take on immigration screenings.
The 138 interviewees were among the 454 people booked in the jail throughout the whole month of December, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Allen Huggins said. He wasn't sure how many of the bookings were between Dec. 4 and Dec. 31.
Hayes previously said the goal was to screen everyone booked at the Costa Mesa jail for immigration violations. He said Wednesday that he believes the 138 people interviewed in December "are primarily the majority of foreign-born individuals" booked at the city jail.
Of the roughly 300 people who weren't interviewed, he said, "either the others were going on to the Orange County jail or there was no question at all that they were citizens of the United States."
A federal agent has screened people at the county jail in the past, and Orange County Sheriff's deputies recently completed federal training and began screening people there Dec. 22.
