Thread: Counties shortchanged on undocumented immigrants

newsday.com/news/local/ny-liimmi0304,0,3330645.story

Newsday.com
Counties shortchanged on undocumented immigrants
BY REID J. EPSTEIN

reid.epstein@newsday.com

The federal government is reimbursing Nassau and Suffolk only a fraction of the millions of dollars the counties are owed for housing undocumented immigrants in their jails, Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.

The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program obligates the federal government to pay to house undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of at least two misdemeanors or one felony. But Schumer (D-N.Y.) and county officials said the counties are receiving between 15 and 25 percent of what they're owed.

"Who's left holding the bag? The taxpayers of Long Island," Schumer said.

Nassau Comptroller Howard Weitzman released an audit Monday that shows the county spent $8.5 million to house 660 undocumented immigrants with one felony or two misdemeanor convictions in 2006, the most recent year in which exact figures are available. The federal government reimbursed only $2.6 million, Weitzman said.

"Why is this being forced down on the backs of the local property taxpayers?" Weitzman said.

County Executive Steve Levy said Suffolk spends $12 million annually to incarcerate undocumented immigrants, a figure that includes not just those with felony and misdemeanor convictions but anyone arrested.

Last year, Suffolk received $1.75 million in reimbursement from the federal government, Levy said.

"You just want to pull your hair out when you find out that $12 million is being spent ... to incarcerate undocumented immigrants who should not be here in the first place," Levy said.

Erik Ablin, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, noted that the Bush administration last requested funding for the federal reimbursement program in the fiscal 2002 budget. He said officials had decided that the money could be "put to better use helping to control the border and improving immigration enforcement."

Levy said Suffolk has 143 undocumented immigrants in its jail awaiting trial. Liz Loconsolo, the general counsel for the Nassau Sheriff's Department, said the county does not know how many undocumented immigrants it is holding in the jail now.

The announcement came on the eve of what is expected to be a heated public hearing on a Suffolk proposal that would revoke the county's contractors' licenses if they are found to be employing undocumented immigrants. Levy said Mondaythat he supports the bill and expects that legislators will support it.

Schumer also announced the introduction of legislation that would require the federal government to reimburse local governments within four months of an application. A separate piece of legislation would expand the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program to cover any undocumented immigrant charged with a crime.

Schumer said the federal program is underfunded and too slow to pay local governments for housing undocumented immigrants for which the federal government is obligated to pay.

"Everyone agrees that the federal government hasn't done nearly enough to bring illegal immigration under control," Schumer said. "When it comes to incarceration services, it's only fair that the federal government pays its fair share."

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-li ... 0645.story

That's why we must have attrition through enforcement! The SAVE Act is a good place to start.

Oh me, oh my!

Are their "sanctuary policies" biting them in the rear-end?

Originally Posted by safari

Oh me, oh my!

Are their "sanctuary policies" biting them in the rear-end?

I certainly hope so!!! Of course there was no mention of this in the NY Daily News or NY Post.