Background

Project Name: Illegal Alien Detention Trends and the Potential Impacts of Post-September 11, 2001 Law Enforcement Initiatives Client: U.S. Department of Justice, Management and Planning Staff Project Spotlight Category: Policy Studies Projects Background In 2001, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct a study of illegal alien holding facilities located within close proximity of the U.S. border, and assess the projected impacts on illegal immigration, federal detention needs, and local demographics if the holding facilities were relocated farther from the border, within the interior of the United States.

Project Summary

Fentress began work on this study for the DOJ Justice Management Division, Management Planning Staff (MPS) in early September 2001. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the U.S., MPS and Fentress worked together to refocus part of the project to include both the original study and a related analysis of illegal alien detention trends in the months after the terrorist attacks. For the study, Fentress gathered and analyzed national detention trends for the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and assessed the impact of detention facility locations on illegal immigration, detention, and other factors. In addition, the study focused on the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on federal detention and associated law enforcement initiatives. The work effort included case studies that were developed from on-site visits to detention facility locations across the country and interviews with subject matter experts from Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and personnel from the legacy INS Office of Investigations, Immigration Inspections, and Detention and Removal Operations. The study also included a detailed analysis of detention and illegal immigration trends in key locations.

Results

The project was one of the first major studies conducted on the national effects of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In addition to the analyses, the reports provided meaningful conclusions regarding the increasing impact of illegal immigration trends on federal and local law enforcement, detention needs, as well as the need for illegal alien health care and social costs. The study identified national “hot spots” for current and future illegal immigration trends and corresponding detention needs. Fentress produced two professional reports and summary presentations to high-level Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons officials. DOJ officials used the reports produced by Fentress to respond to the original Congressional mandate.