Posted on 07/31/2002 7:42:38 PM PDT by Selmo
State fights for U.S. funds in jailing of immigrants
WASHINGTON – Year after year, California lawmakers battled the White House – whether the occupant's name was Clinton or Bush – for more money to help pay for the cost of jailing criminal immigrants.
Now, the Bush administration has fueled more controversy among state politicians. It wants to eliminate the 6-year-old State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, which could result in the loss of more than $200 million to California and its counties.
"I believe it would be a terrible mistake to eliminate funding," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "The bottom line is that the control of illegal immigration is a federal responsibility, but more and more of this burden is shifting to our state and local governments."
Last year, state and local jurisdictions nationwide received $565 million in federal funds for the program, with California receiving the bulk of it – 40 percent. One of every seven prison beds in California is occupied by a criminal illegal immigrant, officials said.
Feinstein sponsored a bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last month that would continue funding the program.
So far, however, no money has been proposed by the Bush administration. The Senate Appropriations Committee – which holds the purse strings for the Justice Department and other government agencies – also has not included funds.
But Capitol Hill sources said there is a strong likelihood that a proposal may be forthcoming in the House to provide $565 million for the reimbursement program – the same as last year.
"Usually, the House puts more money into the program, but no bill has been proposed," said Mary Beth Sullivan, an analyst for the California Institute for Federal Policy Research. "There's going to be a lot of horse-trading."
Despite the Bush budget plan, Sullivan doubts the program will be eliminated. "I don't think it's going to happen," she said.
Nationwide, state and local governments face more than $13 billion in incarceration costs.
As governor of Texas, Bush usually lobbied the federal government for more reimbursement funds. When he became president, however, his position changed.
Last year, the White House proposed $265 million for the program – less than half the amount ultimately approved by Congress.
But in the president's fiscal 2003 budget documents, the Justice Department said it proposes to eliminate the reimbursement program.
"Unlike other grant programs, this money is not used to encourage states or localities to fund effective and innovative criminal justice programs that address crime problems in their communities," it said in the budget statement.
"Therefore, in light of the tight 2003 budget," it says in the document, "the department proposed to eliminate this program which is less critical to the department's mission than other grant programs."
Gray Davis and his administration failed even to try to defend the will of Californians, just as they did not bother to defend our desire to keep the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance case.
Even though Prop. 187 (or part of it?) was overturned in a district court, the case could have been appealed. Davis was too busy raising campaign money for himself and neglecting his duties as governor. He increased benefits to illegal aliens, even though those costs contribute to the huge $24 billion budget deficit expected this year.
California does the exact opposite.
Right. And the problem gets worse every year.
Can you imagine why?
The Hollywood crowd?
The Gays?
The New Agers?
The commune types?
The old hippies?
I know...you wanted me to blame it on immigrants.
Was it too much to ask for you to be logical?
That's true. It's going to get harder and harder since there are more people who feel they depend on those programs.
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