Border states may see fed aid for jails

San Antonio Express-News ^ | 11/27/2003 | Gary Martin

[SwinneySwitch]

WASHINGTON — In a last-minute flurry of activity, the Senate passed a bill that would help U.S. border states and cities shoulder the burden of jailing undocumented workers arrested for crimes in the United States. The bill would provide up to $6.4 billion over seven years to reimburse states, with Texas and California receiving the lion's share of funding, a spokesman for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Wednesday.

"For too long, the federal government has neglected the enormous financial burdens our failed immigration policies have placed on local law enforcement. That must end," Cornyn said in a statement.

The Senate approved the measure on a voice vote. The House is considering its own version of the bill.

President Bush wants to eliminate a $565 million program that reimburses border states and cities for incarcerating undocumented workers.

The Bush budget blueprint for fiscal year 2004, which began Oct. 1, would cut the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program because it "contributes little to reducing violent crime."

State and local leaders along the border howled in protest over the proposed cut in the Justice Department budget, arguing local expenditures are being used to address a federal problem.

Lawmakers from border states protected the program from Bush's proposed cuts for fiscal 2002. In that year, California received $225 million; Texas, $45 million; Arizona, $23 million; and New Mexico, $1.6 million.

Leaders from the states said the federal funds fall short of paying for actual expenditures. In California alone, the estimated cost to incarcerate undocumented immigrants is more than $1.6 billion a year, a congressional aide said.

In Texas, the cost to jail undocumented immigrants is about $200 million per year.

"When the federal government fails to live up to its responsibilities on the border, states and counties shouldn't — and often can't — pick up the tab," said Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration.

The bill to preserve the program, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is co-sponsored by Cornyn and 15 other lawmakers.

The bipartisan bill is identical to legislation introduced in the House.

Border lawmakers in Texas have supported a restoration of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.

This week, Congress approved a Medicare reform bill that includes funds to reimburse border states for federally mandated emergency health care for undocumented immigrants.

The bill includes $200 million for the reimbursements over four years, beginning in fiscal year 2005.

The federal funding would be distributed through a formula designed to help border states and communities with a high rate of emergency care for undocumented immigrants.

[SwinneySwitch]

Why would undocumented workers be committing crimes?/sarcasm

[Dante3]

Our tax money will be spent for health care for illegal aliens? That's outrageous. The solution is easy -- protect our boders and ship back all these criminals.

Next thing we know, we have to pay for their "sex or species change" operations and plastic sugery for that Michael Jackson look.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[Missouri]

Illegal immigration ping.

[Missouri]

Why would undocumented workers be committing crimes?/sarcasm

I'll give you the standard answer. They're just committing crimes Americans won't do.

[B4Ranch]

I'm beginning to think Bush is related to LBJ, he comes out with the raunchiest, most expensive medicare bill ever which includes $1 billion for border hospitals, another way of saying 1 billion foreign aid to Mexico for medical care.

Now we find out he has given $900 million foreign aid a year to Mexico for housing their criminals.

Vote for him in '04 and at the rate he's going we'll be bankrupt by '06.

[janetgreen]

Whether the states pay for it, or the fed gov pays for it, IT'S STILL OUR MONEY! We shouldn't have to pay for it at all. Mr. Big Hat and Big Boots Vicente Fox should be paying the bills, not us. The pandering continues....

[Missouri]

I'm beginning to think Bush is related to LBJ

They are both from Texas maybe something is in the water.

I really don't think he's that conservative.

[azcap]

If the federal governemnt wants help border states with immigration wouldn't it be better to treat the disease than the symptons.

This might help -

[JustPiper]

Jinx, whatchya think?

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"In California alone, the estimated cost to incarcerate undocumented immigrants is more than $1.6 billion a year, a congressional aide said."

Plus the cost of education, welfare, hospitals, emergency rooms, homeless shelters, policing, public transportation, etc. Not to mention fraudulent voting & traffic accidents without car insurance. The cost of bilingual signs, books, voter guides, DMV driving manuals, etc. must be enormous.
The loss of quality of life is serious also; overcrowded public parks, streets, freeways, classrooms, emergency rooms, etc.
The entry-level jobs they take are needed by many unskilled, unemployed Americans. And, because illegals will work for less, Americans competing for the same jobs must also work for less.
Besides all of this, most illegals don't really like America or Americans. Nor do they understand or appreciate what America is or stands for. They simply see America as a place to make more money than they can at home.

[Amerigomag]

While the cost of enforcing our immigration laws is high there is a simple matter that is almost without any upfront cost....return the 14th Amendment to it's original intent.

Before the liberal judicial altered the 14th Amendment it's provisions did not apply to the children of illegal aliens. Without anchor babies the illegal alien would remain just that, an illegal alien who is subject to deportation upon detection.

[FITZ]

The solution is easy -- protect our boders and ship back all these criminals.

They'd be considered heroes in Mexico and they would be let go to come back and commit more crimes.

[FITZ]

Next thing we know, we have to pay for their "sex or species change" operations and plastic sugery for that Michael Jackson look.

Actually that would be a very good idea --- all criminals coming in from Mexico should be given free sex change operations --- make it mandatory.

[HiJinx]

I think my taxes are headed up....way up.

[John Jorsett]

I'd rather spend the money on keeping them out in the first place. This reimbursement approach is just like gaving the patient pain medication instead of treatment for the underlying disease.

[Joe Hadenuf]

What are they doing filling up our jails? I thought they were all hard working family types?

[philetus]

"While the cost of enforcing our immigration laws is high there is a simple matter that is almost without any upfront cost....return the 14th Amendment to it's original intent."

I believe that shoud read:

While the cost of NOT enforcing our immigration laws is high there is a simple matter that is almost without any upfront cost....return the 14th Amendment to it's original intent.

[FITZ]

That would take care a lot of the problem. The hospitals which will benefit from the $1 billion in the Medicare law aren't treating just elderly illegals --- very much of it is the free maternity and prenatal care they expect to receive so they can live here and collect the new citizens' welfare checks.