Here are stats from Orange County’s county jail.  These county jails house misdemeanors and felonies and only very rarely infractions.

Subject: 1st Month of OC Jail Checks (639 flagged)

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1627668php

 Wednesday, March 21, 2007

639 arrestees flagged for immigration violations
During one month, 10 percent of people sent to O.C. Jail were flagged as possible illegal immigrants.
By CINDY CARCAMO

The Orange County Register

SANTA ANATen percent of people arrested and sent to the Orange County Jail from Jan. 19 to Feb. 25 were flagged for possible immigration violations, according to statistics the Orange County Sheriff's Department released Wednesday.

Jail deputies booked a total of 6,160 people through the Intake Release Center during that time. Of those, deputies interviewed 956 foreign nationals and detained 639 of them for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Of those detained for ICE, 56 were held for aggravated felonies, 425 for felonies and 214 for misdemeanors.

The numbers are for the first month of a program that certified deputies to perform certain immigration functions such as checking the legal status of everyone that comes through their jails.

Deputies interviewed foreign nationals from various countries such as Canada, Argentina and Thailand.

Sheriff Mike Carona said the numbers weren't a surprise. He had estimated 8 to 14 percent of the jail population was most likely here illegally.

"Nobody has done a definitive study like we're doing right now," Carona said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7829 or ccarcamo@ocregister.com