Two illegal aliens in Oregon are charged with the rape and murder of 15-year-old Dani Countryman, at least one of whom had a prior arrest but was not deported. Apparently as a result of that crime, officials in several counties are reporting possible illegals to ICE in much higher numbers. The surge is led by Clackamas County, where the Countryman murder occurred:

Clackamas County criminal justice authorities reported more foreign-born drunken drivers to immigration authorities in the past month than in the previous 18 months combined.

…

Rasmussen’s department sifted through approximately 700 DUII cases last month. The search found 62 foreign-born people who were not U.S. citizens and sent the names to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for review. During the previous 18 months, Rasmussen’s office referred 47 DUII cases to the agency.

Many of those reported were in the country legally, but federal authorities determined that at least 10 were subject to deportation, Rasmussen said. Five were taken into custody, and five are wanted on federal warrants.

Multnomah County contains Portland proper, while Clackamas and Washington Counties take in the suburbs.

Multnomah County plans to stick with a policy that’s been in place for years, said sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Jason Gates. Jailers ask inmates where they were born and forward the names of foreign-born inmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement once a week, Gates said.

This is encouraging:

Within 12 months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement expects to have an agent assigned to every jail in Oregon. The closer ties between federal agents and local authorities should increase the number of illegal immigrants who are deported after serving their sentences, [ICE spokeswoman] Dankers said.

This is worrying:

As Oregon jails, prosecutors and probation officers send more tips, federal agents face busy times.

“It’s very labor intensive,” Dankers said.

If Clackamas County had called when [alleged murderer/rapist] Alejandro Rivera Gamboa was booked on suspicion of drunken driving, Dankers said, “We would have responded or we’d tell them why.”

Although the agency aims to respond to all calls, “We have to prioritize,” she said. “If we receive 20 calls in one night, we’re most interested in the rapist, the drug dealer.”

Except the DUI later became a rapist and a murderer, which is precisely the point. If ICE doesn’t have enough agents at present to even deal with the illegals who are reported, as they should be, by local law enforcement, then it’s no wonder at all that they can’t actively pursue leads themselves or seal the border. How discouraging.

But kudos to these Oregon county agencies for doing what so many locales in this country won’t do. It’s a start.