Sheriff Hanna Addresses Numerous Human Smuggling Bookings in Past Week

SAN ANGELO, TX — There have been 16 individuals booked into the Tom Green County jail the past week on charges of smuggling of persons.

Despite the notable surge, Sheriff Nick Hanna said there’s no reason for San Angelo residents to be alarmed.

All of the bookings, which are related to illegal immigration, have come from outside Tom Green County as part of an agreement with the 452nd Border Prosecution Unit to allow other counties to house inmates here.

“In a nutshell, we have 552 beds in our facility, and our jail count allowed us to contract some of those beds out, because we only have around 430 to 440 inmates,” Hanna said. “So we reached an agreement for $104 a bed, whether they’re filled or not, for 48 beds. So the county gets a pretty good shot in the arm. … It’s about $1.8 million the folks in the jail are bringing in.”

Hanna said the inmates pose “no threat to public safety in Tom Green County.”

“We’re just holding for some other counties, and when they bond out, those other counties will come get them. They don’t bond out on these streets,” Hanna said.