[President's]New budget cuts money for counties that jail illegal immigrants

The Monitor ^ | February 11,2007 | Andres R. Martinez

[SwinneySwitch]

EDINBURG — Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño had a new dilemma on his hands last week — where would he get $725,000 to make up for funding President Bush has proposed to cut from a federal program.

In fiscal year 2005, the federal government reimbursed the county almost three-quarters of a million dollars for housing illegal aliens accused of committing crimes. And the president didn’t request any new funding for those State Criminal Alien Assistance Program reimbursements in the fiscal year 2008 budget he recently submitted to Congress.

"One of the major fronts we need assistance in is helping us pay for the jailing of the criminal illegal immigrants that the federal government fails to stop at the borders," Treviño said. "They are passing the buck."

The federal reimbursement program was created in 2000 by the Department of Justice to pay local and state government entities the costs of holding illegal immigrants in jail and prison. It paid out a total of $287 million for fiscal year 2005.

The Hidalgo County jail houses as many as 1,200 inmates a day. On any given day, at least 20 percent of those are illegal immigrants, Treviño said. At least 80 inmates are sent to the private East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa because he doesn’t have enough space.

Sheriffs with jails full of illegal immigrants around the country have argued that it is the federal government’s responsibility to house illegal immigrants, not local government.

The government estimated that SCAAP paid an average $30 per inmate. The total amount paid to each government entity was based on a complex formula that reimbursed governments by how many officers worked at the jail, how many beds were in the jail and how large the facility was. But that $30 average fell short of real costs of about $40, Treviño said.

Under the program, local and state governments send receipts proving a criminal illegal immigrant stayed in a jail for more than four days to secure reimbursement.

More than 3,500 illegal immigrants spent more than four days at the Hidalgo County jail in 2005, the last year for which data is currently available. Harris County was the only county in the state to receive more money than Hidalgo.

Though the funding is cut, Treviño and other sheriffs around the country still need to hold illegal immigrants in their jails.

So efforts to secure the funding again are still underway.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that he plans to ask for the money in upcoming funding negotiations in Congress, which is mulling over the president’s proposed budget now.

"The federal government is the one with primary responsibility, yet we have the double whammy of the government not acting on our broken borders," Cornyn said. "I am concerned by this proposal and I hope the Democratic majority will allow amendments to fix some of these egregious things in the appropriations bill."

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Andres R. Martinez covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.

[freedomfiter2]

Illegal immigration may not be rushed through with the mess that's brewing with the two border patrol agents' case.

[hsmomx3]

Speechless or I have no words suited for print.

[Les_Miserables]

I don't think there is a Republican in sight that can win against a cripple, lesbian Democrat from Haiti. Bush has done a masterful job of completely submarining the GOP and the GOP has been trying to row underwater to help him out...whatta putz. If you look at the likely Republican candidates, not a one will carry the conservative South and the GOP cannot win without the South. You can take that to the bank. This election is toast already. I rue the day I ever voted for this turkey and two more years of him is hard to contemplate.