Thread: CO-Suthers' plea mostly futile

Suthers' plea mostly futile

By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 08/23/2008 06:19:41 AM MDT


Colorado Attorney General John Suthers says he's just doing his job. Now we just hope Colorado's delegation in Washington, D.C., does the same.

Suthers this past week sent a letter to the state's two U.S. senators and seven U.S. representatives seeking help in recouping millions from the federal government for incarcerating illegal immigrants in Colorado jails.

Suthers is acting on House Bill 1014, passed during a 2006 emergency General Assembly session, which directs the attorney general to recover state costs incurred because of illegal immigrants. Suthers said Colorado spent $39.8 million keeping illegals in Colorado jails during the 2006-07 fiscal year. But the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or SCAAP, paid out only $3.3 million toward those expenses.

SCAAP is a federal program that gives money to states holding illegal immigrants in their prisons. The prisoners can't be deported because of the seriousness of their crimes, Suthers said. "They would just cross back," he added.

Suthers is frustrated, and that's certainly understandable. A lack of federal action has created a very real and expensive state problem.

Suthers thinks his only recourse is to get Colorado's congressional delegation working toward a solution.

He won't receive much help from Rep. Tom Tancredo, the nation's lightning rod on this issue. Denver, Tancredo says, is a sanctuary city that does little to punish or get rid of illegal immigrants, and in fact provides them aid and comfort.

"I would find it difficult to go to my colleagues in the Congress to say, 'Give us more money' . . . when I know that Denver is a large part of the problem," he said.

But by not helping to recoup costs, he's punishing Colorado taxpayers, not the city of Denver.

Sen. Wayne Allard commended Suthers for pushing the issue, but told us he doesn't expect anything will be done on it this year.

If anything, Suthers' quest is about raising awareness of a broken system — one Congress could help fix by enacting legislation that stems the tide of illegal immigrants flooding into the country while creating a reasonable guest worker program.

We won't hold our breath.




http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10279666

It is so disgusting that “we the tax payersâ€

SCAAP is a federal program that gives money to states holding illegal immigrants in their prisons. The prisoners can't be deported because of the seriousness of their crimes, Suthers said. "They would just cross back," he added.

If the crimes are that serious, the death penalty will take care of them once and for all! Enough is enough!