What is an alien inmate?

An alien inmate is one who does not have U.S. citizenship. Newly admitted inmates are referred to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) agents, working in prison reception centers, who identify and investigate those who may be aliens. On June 30, 2001, Florida prisons held 4,422 confirmed alien inmates.

What happens once alien inmates finish their prison sentences?

As with other inmates, alien inmates are released from prison when their sentences are completed. If the INS has notified the Department that they want to take an alien inmate into custody, the inmate is released only into INS custody. Some alien inmates cannot be deported. However, the majority of alien inmates who complete their sentences in Florida prisons are released to INS for further immigration processing, including possible deportation.

• Most (60.3%) of the confirmed alien inmates in prison on June 30, 2001 were serving time for violent crimes.
  
  
• Almost one-fourth (24.0%) of all confirmed aliens were serving time for murder or manslaughter, and 21.4% were serving for drug-related crimes.
  
  
• Cuba is the single country with the largest number of confirmed aliens in Florida’s prison system (39.9%) on June 30, 2001.
  
  
• Mexico (10.5%) and Jamaica (9.7%) together account for one of every five aliens in Florida prisons.
  
  
• Nicaragua, the Bahamas, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Canada, El Salvador, and Guatemala account for 14.3% of confirmed aliens in Florida prisons on June 30, 2001.
  
  

Primary Offense of Confirmed Alien Inmates on June 30, 2001

Birth Country of Confirmed Alien Inmates on June 30, 2001