Obama’s budget would stop reimbursing prisons for holding illegal immigrants
By Matt Zapotosky February 10 at 11:14 AM
Under President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal 2017, the Justice Department would abandon a program that reimburses state and local prisons for housing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.
The move to eliminate the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) — which would save the Justice Department $210 million — is likely to face significant resistance in Congress and from local officials concerned about a loss of funding.
The White House has moved in the past to trim or cancel the program, and each year, it has survived, said Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which generally supports reduced immigration.
“You could say if you don’t start offsetting the costs, some of these local jails might start releasing more people,” Vaughan said. “I don’t understand why they bother with this fight every year.”
Republicans in Congress have said they broadly oppose the president’s budget, and the program is just a blip in the Justice Department’s $29 billion budget, including spending on national security and cybersecurity and countering violent extremism — the top priorities on a long list.
In budget materials disclosing its proposed termination, the Justice Department asserted that “robust funding for immigration matters elsewhere in the budget renders this redundant.” The budget request for the Department of Homeland Security includes enhanced efforts on deportation — including $347.5 million in funding for a program to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants.
SCAAP gives federal money to states and localities that house illegal immigrants with at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions for at least four consecutive days. The program doles out millions of dollars to jurisdictions nationwide, particularly to those with high numbers of immigrants. In fiscal 2015, California received more than $44.1 million, Florida received more than $6.7 million, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice received more than $8.2 million, according to materials on the Office of Justice Programs’ Web site.
H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the California Department of Finance, said it was “disappointing, but not surprising,” that the White House had proposed slashing the funding. He said that the state had more than 16,000 inmates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention orders and that for the coming fiscal year, he anticipated $44.2 million in federal reimbursement.
If the federal money did not come through, Palmer said, California would have to turn to its legislature for money.
“It’s certainly significant, and we’re certainly not the only state that’s affected by this,” he said.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who is running for president, Rep. John Culberson (R-Tex.) and others have proposed withholding federal funding to force “sanctuary cities,” which don’t work with federal authorities to enforce immigration laws, to become more cooperative. Culberson referenced the fiscal 2017 budget proposal in a letter to Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch on the topic earlier this year.
“The bottom line is very simple, State or local law enforcement agencies are expected to work cooperatively with Federal law enforcement agencies,” Culberson wrote. “Communities that do not work with Federal law enforcement officials, in violation of Federal law, should not expect to receive Federal grant funding from the Department of Justice.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the program was first authorized by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, although it was not funded until years later. The group said that funding never covers the full costs that state and local jurisdictions bear but that it is still a worthwhile program.
“NCSL has advocated for better or even full funding for SCAAP over the years and would continue to do so should the need arise,” said Susan Parnas Frederick, the conference’s senior federal affairs counsel.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...9ad_story.html
Obama’s Proposed Budget Halts Reimbursement for Illegal Aliens in State and County Ja
Obama’s Proposed Budget Halts Reimbursement for Illegal Aliens in State and County Jails
by LANA SHADWICK
11 Feb 2016
President Obama’s proposed budget for 2017 halts reimbursement to state and county jails for housing, feeding, and providing the medical and mental health needs of criminal illegal aliens.
The White House is moving to eliminate the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAPP), as reported by The Washington Post. While it would save the U.S. Department of Justice a reported $210 million, any costs of housing these illegal immigrants would be passed on to local and county taxpayers.
President Obama said his budget “is about looking forward,” reported the New York Times.
In response to the President’s proposal, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted, “This must be stopped: Obama’s budget stops paying prisons for holding illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.”
Greg Abbott ✔ @GregAbbott_TX
This must be stopped: Obama’s budget stops paying prisons for holding illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. #tcot http://wpo.st/R6YA1
1:49 PM - 10 Feb 2016
https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HB...65Jj5ihQlfLvuM
Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman told Breitbart Texas that the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) receives $1 million in reimbursements for the care, and medical and mental health costs of criminal illegal aliens in the county. He said while the federal government has reduced the burden on Harris County taxpayers in the past, this only partially reimburses for the costs the county incurs.
Harris County, Texas, is comprised of the Houston and surrounding areas and the HCSO is the third largest sheriff’s office in the nation. Sheriff Hickman said by default, county taxpayers would bear the financial responsibility. Hickman said the “federal government should pay.” The Harris County sheriff said he is working with local area congressmen to address the issue.
“This money is vital for handling the criminal aliens that are in our jails,” Jackson County Sheriff AJ (Andy) Louderback siad in an interview with Breitbart Texas. He said the reimbursement costs have already been reduced. “This is our one, if not our only, source of revenue that deals with reimbursement to county jails,” the sheriff explained. Louderback is serving as the legislative director for the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.
“President Obama continues to do everything he can to gut the criminal alien system in the U.S., proving once again that the safety of U.S. citizens is not important,” Sheriff Louderback added.
Dan Golvach, whose son was executed by an illegal alien while sitting in his car waiting for a light to change told Breitbart Texas, “This is just another way for Obama to create chaos. When you create chaos, then you create big government solutions. His fundamental change for America shows that he is for everyone but us. He is out to destroy this country as we know it.”
The 182-page budget is not likely to pass in the Republican-majority Congress. Breitbart News reported that the president’s budget would increase taxes by $2.6 trillion in ten years. As reported, this is nearly double the $1.4 trillion in new taxes the president tried to get in his previous budget proposal.
The Breitbart News article highlights the spending priorities of the Obama Administration, including his proposal to spend $300 billion over a decade for green vehicles and transportation initiatives.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, Texans responded passionately to the president’s proposal to increase revenues through a $10-a-barrel fee on crude oil. Moreover, in a statement obtained by the Republican National Committee, the RNC was on record saying, “The president’s proposed tax hike on oil isn’t just a middle-class tax increase, it’s a poor-tax, a family-tax, and a quality-of-life tax that goes directly after all Americans who are finally seeing relief at the pump and in their heating bills.”
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/02/11/3010326/
