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>> The University of Wisconsin

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System is sounding the alarm

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over cuts due to sequestration.

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UW System President Kevin Reilly

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is saying some of the largest

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impacts will be to research

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funding, to the tune of

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$35 million in cuts.

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Reilly also says student

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federal aid programs would see

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immediate reductions.

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Even before the deadline,

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the federal government started

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trimming its outlays,

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specifically U.S. Immigration

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and Customs Enforcement, or ICE,

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released several hundred illegal

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detainees from detention centers

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across the country,

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and here in Wisconsin.

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The Dodge County Jail holds

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hundreds of these detainees for

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federal immigration officials,

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and early this week was directed

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to release about 35 of them.

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Sheriff Todd Nehls joins us now

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with details, and Sheriff,

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thanks a lot for doing so.

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>> Always a pleasure.

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>> So what was the process for

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release earlier this week?

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>> Well, we're in daily

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communications with Immigration

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and Customs Enforcement,

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multiple times a day, to

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coordinate either pick up or

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delivery of immigration holds

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throughout the Midwest or the

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state of Wisconsin specifically.

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So when I came in early Monday

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morning, I was informed

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by my jail administrator that

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Immigration and Customs

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Enforcement had called us Monday

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and given us names of 35 of my

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immigration holds and told them

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to transport them down to the

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Chicago Courthouse, where they

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would eventually be released

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on a less intrusive means of

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detention rather than being held

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in a county jail.

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>> Now, do you think that any of

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those that you released out

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of your jail would be considered

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dangerous?

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>> We know why they're there.

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As far as me putting a finger

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on if they're dangerous or not,

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compared to anybody else that's

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incarcerated, I would have

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no information about that.

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>> After you took them down to

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Chicago, again, is it your

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understanding they would just

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be released onto the street,

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as it were?

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>> I think the way it works,

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they go in front of a federal

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magistrate and are probably

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released on some type

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of signature bond or cash bond

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that would try to guarantee

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future court appearances.

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Whether that works or not,

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I guess we'll find out

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in the future.

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>> Who are these detainees

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in your jail?

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>> My understanding that most

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of the ones we have are people

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that have been through the court

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system, either because they

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committed a crime, or they've

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stayed longer than they should

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have on a visa, and failed to

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heed the warning to self-deploy

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back to where they came from.

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So they're ordered and directed

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to incarceration and detention

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in my facility until the time

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comes that they can be taken

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back to their country of origin.

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>> And your daily census

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of these detainees?

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>> In 2012, we averaged about

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300-310 a day.

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This morning I had 246.

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>> Is this a financial boon

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for your county and your jail?

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>> It's great for Dodge County.

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Last year, it brought in

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$11 million in revenue.

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As a sheriff, I'm very

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privileged and blessed to be

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able to do so many things that

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many cannot do, because they

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don't have that federal

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revenue stream.

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It also creates about 50-60

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good family supportive jobs.

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It puts a little pulse in the

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local economy, too, because

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these people even though they're

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incarcerated, they have friends

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and family from all over the

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Midwest coming to visit them,

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staying in local hotels,

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buy gas, buy food at the local

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restaurants.

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It's good for Dodge County.

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>> So the release of like 35

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of them earlier this week,

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does that represent a budget hit

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for you?

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>> It's about $2100-$2200 a day.

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If that census stays low

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like that, that's about $70,000

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a month, or about $800,000

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over the course of the year

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less revenue than I would

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have anticipated.

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>> So it is significant.

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How does your detainee operation

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in Dodge County compare to

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others across the country?

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>> There are two of us

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in Wisconsin.

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Kenosha County is also a holder

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of federal detainees.

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We're the only two in the state,

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that I'm aware of, and that's

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because we're both very good

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at customer service.

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I look at our stats

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as how we compare nationally.

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Right now, Dodge County

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Sheriff's Department is ranked

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14th nationally, in the level

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of care and the quality of care

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that we provide these detainees.

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>> That's pretty amazing,

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14th in the country.

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How surprising was it to you

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that ICE decided to release

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several hundred detainees

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across the country?

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>> Well, I know the

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sequestration has been the

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excuse for doing that, but I've

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been anticipating some reduction

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in incarcerated detainees

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for quite some time with the

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conversation on immigration

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reform.

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I think it's only a matter of

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time before this program

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really draws down even more so

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than it has today.

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>> Have you been in conversation

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with other sheriffs in other

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parts of the country that

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actually had to kind of open

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the floodgates and allow these

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people to walk away?

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>> No, I haven't.

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Usually my conversations are

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from sheriffs that want to get

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into the business, and want to

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know how they can get into the

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business.

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It's tough to do that right now

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because the enormous cost it

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takes to buy vans and personnel,

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to get to the ability

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that we have today.

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It's pretty tough to get into

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that business, and I'm happy,

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because that maintains

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the business for me.

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>> So if your suspicion is

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correct, and they want to

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draw down these numbers in these

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detention centers, does that

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strike you as being dangerous

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for the public at large, if in

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fact we are not detaining these

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people ahead of deportation,

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or not, because they're not the

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most violent criminals?

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>> They're not the most violent.

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I'm in my jail a lot, and I talk

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to these detainees.

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Some are being detained for

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nonviolent offenses, money

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laundering, things like that.

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There are those that are

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violent.

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When they round up gang members

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from Chicago and Milwaukee area,

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anytime you see that in the

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media, that there's a federal

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roundup of gang members and

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there are federal authorities

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involved, more than likely those

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individuals come to my facility.

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Tony Rezko, a non-violent

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offender, President Obama's

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good friend, he was by me

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for two years.

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Guys like Blagojevich, if he

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would not have been able to bond

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himself out, he would have

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come to my facility.

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We have a lot of violent

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offenders, and we have an equal

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number of nonviolent offenders.

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I think those are the ones

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that Immigration and Customs

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Enforcement has decided

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to release on the streets,

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and hopefully will return for a

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future court date for detention.

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>> Sheriff Nehls, thanks very

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much.

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>> Always a pleasure.

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Thank you for having me.