Jail revenue has surged in La Paz County by more than a million dollars. The rural western county is housing inmates from other jurisdictions, most of them immigrants in the country illegally.
La Paz County Sheriff Bill Risen says federal authorities are choosing to house those immigrants in Arizona because of California laws that limit how state and local law enforcement agencies cooperate with the federal government on immigration matters.
The Today's News-Herald newspaper reports that La Paz County was housing nearly 150 federal inmates in late June. The more than $1 million in payments provided the county contrasts sharply with the $81,000 in jail revenue budgeted for the year.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
