The number of criminal aliens admitted to Texas prisons decreased by 13 percent between 1992 and 1993. Aliens were more likely to have committed violent or drug offenses than nonaliens. In 1993, of the aliens admitted to prison, 41.3 percent were admitted for violent offenses compared to 23.3 percent of nonalien admissions; 40.3 percent were admitted for drug offenses compared to 24.8 of nonalien admissions. Almost all criminal aliens were Hispanic (87 percent) and received an average sentence of 12 years. About 4 percent of inmates awaiting transfer to prison from county jails were aliens. Violent crimes represented the most common offense among the alien jail backlog population. More aliens were released from prison in 1993 than in 1992, despite an overall decline in prison releases. Alien offenders released from prison in 1993 had longer average sentences but served about the same average time in prison as nonalien offenders. Criminal aliens constituted a very small percentage of all offenders under parole supervision. Operational costs of maintaining the criminal alien population in Texas are estimated at over $74 million a year. 14 figures