http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_3203431

Illegal-immigrant jail funds upped
Highest reimbursement in four years
Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer

The House approved $405 million this week to repay states the high cost of locking up illegal immigrants charged with crimes, the highest amount approved in four years for a program the Bush administration has long sought to eradicate.
For San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, which house thousands of illegal immigrant inmates at any given time, increased funding is welcome news.

But with the rise in funding come reimbursement requests from applicants across the nation seeking repayment through the federal government's State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.

"It's one of the few things that I've battled the White House on in years past," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, whose amendment to the bill ensured an additional $50 million for the program this year.

"We were successful . . . There's now a national focus on the problems with illegal immigration. This is a sad example of a major problem - and how California is leading the way for the rest of the nation. (Immigration) played a role in getting broad-based support for (SCAAP)."

Overall, the state spends nearly $750 million annually incarcerating illegal immigrants who commit crimes. Since 1995, when the federal reimbursement program began, the House has consistently compromised financially with the Senate - receiving less than the requested funding, said Dreier, who also represents Rancho Cucamonga and Wrightwood.

But this year, with immigration taking center stage on Capitol Hill, the House was able to sway the Senate into allocating the requested funds, he said.

Last year, San Bernardino County was reimbursed $487,145 under SCAAP. But that paled in comparison to the yearly cost of housing illegal immigrants at just one local jail - West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, for example, spent more than $11.7 million to incarcerate illegal immigrants in 2004. For Los Angeles County jails, that figure exceeds $150 million annually.

"In a way, by incarcerating illegal aliens we're taking on the responsibility of what should be the burden of the U.S. marshals and the INS," said Carolyn Bondoc, financial manager for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. "No matter where they are from, these illegal immigrant inmates are criminals and we want them off the streets. SCAAP will help us recover some of the costs of keeping them, but 100 percent reimbursement would be ideal."

Of the 5,000 inmates booked into West Valley Detention Center each month, roughly 750 are illegal immigrants, Bondoc said. The problem had become such a burden to the county that the Board of Supervisors in August voted unanimously to create a special unit to identify inmates in violation of immigration laws and process them for deportation, she added.

The cost for housing inmates in San Bernardino County detention centers is estimated at $46.68 per inmate per day, totaling about $35,010 per month if each illegal immigrant were incarcerated for a single day, according to Bondoc.

And though San Bernardino County officials support the current reimbursement program, they are unsatisfied with certain stipulations, Bondoc said.

"Pretty much they have to be convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and they have to be housed for more than four days for the federal government to reimburse us," she added.

SCAAP rules don't apply for illegal immigrants housed for fewer than four days. Counties are responsible for their costs, she noted.

"It underscores the fact that it is the federal government's responsibility to secure our borders," Dreier said. "If it were up to me, there would be 100 percent reimbursement."

Also approved this week was the Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support 375-45. The legislation contains key components introduced by Dreier and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, to make it a federal crime to kill a peace officer and flee the country.

"This legislation will give law enforcement the tools they need to bring cop killers to justice," Schiff said. "It also reaffirms Congress' strong desire to reform our extradition treaty with Mexico and bring these felons back."