Instead of giving the mexican govt. 1.4 B why not give the same amount to OUR Border Counties????

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5596441.html

March 5, 2008, 10:16PM
Jailing illegal immigrants is costing border counties
Study shows that in the last decade, $1.23 billion was spent to process and prosecute


By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
New York Times

NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
LOS ANGELES — Counties along the Mexican border from California to Texas are shortchanged millions of dollars a year in costs related to prosecuting and jailing illegal immigrants, according to a study released Wednesday.

The study was conducted by the University of Arizona and San Diego State University on behalf of the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition, a group representing the 24 border counties.

Cumulatively, the counties spent $1.23 billion from 1999 to 2006 to process illegal immigrants in the justice system, the study found. Federal programs only offset a fraction of those costs, and often did not receive the maximum level of funding that they are authorized to receive, the study said.

"This is a huge problem because we can't keep up with fixing roads, the other costs of law enforcement, keeping up health agencies," said Paul Newman, a member of the board of supervisors in Cochise County, Ariz.. "It is a big hit on counties that per capita are unable to meet other needs."

The border counties coalition has long complained that the federal government does not adequately finance the costs of illegal immigration borne by local governments. The group commissioned the study, a follow-up to reports started in 1999, to document the extent of the problem.

Some of the biggest costs absorbed by the counties are in the criminal justice system, the study found. The cost of arresting, incarcerating and housing illegal immigrant criminal suspects had more than doubled since 1999, to $192 million in the 2006 fiscal year, the report said.

Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute in Washington, said the report shines light on the fallout of illegal immigration. But he said the problem would likely continue.

Laura Keehner, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, agreed, while defending the federal government's effort to curb illegal immigration.

Aside from doubling the size of the Border Patrol and putting in fencing and other security measures, she said, the government is also increasing jail space for illegal immigrants detained by local agencies and boosting federal manpower in local communities by teaming federal immigration agents with local police officers.

SENATE ACTION

Republican senators unveiled a raft of legislation Wednesday designed to step up enforcement of immigration laws.
The approach represents a departure from the failed comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill last year that sought to provide a path toward legalization for about 12 million illegal immigrants while stepping up border security.

Among other things, the bills would make English the official language of the United States; reduce federal law enforcement financing for cities that refuse to enforce immigration laws; ban immigrants from receiving drivers licenses; authorize the deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops to the southern border and mandate completion of a 700-mile U.S.-Mexico fence.