Thread: CA-Lawmaker to Feds: Reimburse California for Illegal Immigr

Lawmaker to Feds: Reimburse California for Illegal Immigrants

Updated 5:29 AM PDT, Tue, Jun 2, 2009

Related Topics: Criminal Sentencing and Punishment | Illegal Immigration and Deportation | Immigration | Prisons

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An Inland Empire lawmaker who says California cannot afford the expense of imprisoning illegal immigrant criminals introduced a resolution today calling on Congress and the president to restore funding to a program in which states are reimbursed for incarcerating them.

"California continues to be shortchanged by the federal government when it comes to picking up the tab for illegal immigrants in our prisons," said Sen. John J. Benoit, R-Bermuda Dunes.

"Unless we act decisively to claim what's rightfully ours, our state's finances will continue to hemorrhage by the hundreds of millions each year to this federal obligation," he said.

Senate Joint Resolution 12 calls on Congress to maintain funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, through which states receive federal compensation for keeping illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in prison and jail, respectively.

Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney General can either take an undocumented convict into federal custody, or arrange for reimbursements to a state to offset the expense to that state of incarcerating the alien prisoner.

The average annual cost to house an inmate in California is $35,587. According to Benoit's office, illegal immigrants comprise 15 percent -- roughly 26,000 inmates -- of the state's prison population.

The cost of housing those prisoners is expected to total $970 million in the current fiscal year -- up 46 percent compared to three years ago, according to Benoit's office.

Under SCAAP, the state received about a 12 percent reimbursement from the federal government for the 2007-08 fiscal year, leaving California taxpayers to foot the balance of the bill, according to Benoit.

President Obama's 2010 budget blueprint, which Congress has tentatively approved, includes eliminating funding for SCAAP altogether, in favor of an increase in funding for border security.

Peter Orszag, director of the federal Office of Management & Budget, has said de-funding SCAAP would allow the federal government to devote more resources to "reducing unauthorized immigration in the first place."

In addition to California, representatives from Arizona and Colorado have protested the move to eliminate SCAAP.

Another measure proposed by Benoit, SB 125, calls on the California Attorney General to bill the federal government annually for all costs incurred housing illegal immigrant prisoners.

The legislation, which has stalled in the Senate Public Safety Committee, would also support legal action against the federal government for failure to fully reimburse the state.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... rants.html

NO, BAILOUT OF ILLEGALS California needs to do their state part on controlling immigration laws, too.

Posted to source link:

If California used the 970 million to enforce Immigration laws they would save Billions each and every year!

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http://www.alipac.us/article4264.html

but SCRU Calofornia and their sanctuary policies. Those policies are responsible for your enormous freakin debt and for the endless lines of Illegals you now have in your jails. They should have been deported years ago, many of them...

The state government does everything possible to attract ILLEGALS to the state for the benefit of the Special Interest Groups and the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS by furnishing welfare for the ILLEGAL mothers and their children, free education including breakfast and lunch, utilization of the hospitals for the ILLEGALS as their family doctors; all to be paid for by the taxpayers so the Special Interest Groups and ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS can profit with their bottom lines increasing. HEAVY FINES and FELONY Jail Time for ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS!!

An Inland Empire lawmaker who says California cannot afford the expense of imprisoning illegal immigrant criminals introduced a resolution today calling on Congress and the president to restore funding to a program in which states are reimbursed for incarcerating them.

You should have thought about that during the last 20 years while California was rolling out the red carpet for them.

Don't set up a termite farm in your yard and then complain when they start eating your house. And definitely don't expect your neighbor to pay for rebuilding the house.

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

Posted to source link:

If California used the 970 million to enforce Immigration laws they would save Billions each and every year!

I agree 100%!! This is just a small fraction of what illegals cost CA taxpayers!!

Originally Posted by MW

An Inland Empire lawmaker who says California cannot afford the expense of imprisoning illegal immigrant criminals introduced a resolution today calling on Congress and the president to restore funding to a program in which states are reimbursed for incarcerating them.

You should have thought about that during the last 20 years while California was rolling out the red carpet for them.
[quote:362druie]
Don't set up a termite farm in your yard and then complain when they start eating your house. And definitely don't expect your neighbor to pay for rebuilding the house.

[/quote:362druie]

Loved that one MW, and so true!!......LMAO

Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney General can either take an undocumented convict into federal custody, or arrange for reimbursements to a state to offset the expense to that state of incarcerating the alien prisoner.

Time for the FEDS to step up and take all of the prisoners or pay all of the states to keep them, just like they are supposed to. If the Federal Government had secured the border as they agreed to do after the 1986 amnesty, there wouldn't be any illegal aliens in any state at this time.