The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is working to expand a program that checks the immigration status of prison inmates to the entire prison system, said ICE assistant secretary Julie Myers this week.

Under the new system, fingerprints taken during booking would automatically be checked against Department of Homeland Security databases to access immigration history. Assuming the database is accurate - it currently yields a 4 percent error rate - the program could prove extremely cost effective.

Average annual costs for housing and caring for inmates exceeded $24,000 in 2005.  In some states like Rhode Island, costs were as high as $45,000 per inmate.  Even if you add court costs to process the illegals to the $1,000 average transportation cost to actually deport them, the return on investment would have even Warren Buffet looking to back the ICE program.

Myers said it would take about 3.5 years before the program could reach all the country's jails. But in the end, the "Secure Communities" initiative would ensure illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds aren't simply released back into the U.S.

Hopefully, ICE will ensure the database used to check the legal status of criminals is completely accurate through pilot programs like the one in Irving, Texas before launching the program nation-wide.  Otherwise, wrongfully accused, or even worse, wrongfully deported citizens will be rightfully filing lawsuits against Uncle Sam at the expense of Joe taxpayer.