On the heels of the county’s effort to try out a new system to help identify illegal immigrants in Harris County Jails, a shocking Houston Chronicle investigation finds that illegal immigrants, who tell jailers they are in the country without permission are freed on bail or often sentenced to probation for dangerous crimes.

The three part series started Sunday and highlights how illegal immigrant cycle through local jails and fall through the crack of immigration enforcement. Juan Sanchez, pictured to the left, was a suspect in a 2007 Houston murder case. He skipped bail and is still on the run.

Here’s another great article the same reporters did last year about the issue. Here’s a recent Rocky Mountain News article about an illegal immigrant in Colorado who was arrested and let go nearly 20 times in a state that is known for its tough immigration laws.

The Chronicle’s series also highlighted the fact that many county officials didn’t have a good explanation for how it all happened. One judge didn’t return a call seeking comment another said she simply didn’t know.

The illegal immigration conundrum continues. But this story  begs the question, how can anyone not know? A quick jaunt down to The Heights area and other neartown neighborhoods is an accurate indicator of the illegal immigrant population in Houston. Many day laborers gather at an informal site in a shopping center parking lot on S. Shepherd Drive and Ella. A storefront for the Houston Police Department is just feet away. This doesn’t mean police could really stop them from gathering, but for officials to say they don’t know how they slip through the cracks is inaccurate. They do it everyday.