Thread: Schwarzenegger Leads Call to Feds to Reimburse States

http://www.bakersfieldonline.us/news/read/3/80926


Schwarzenegger Leads Call to Feds to Reimburse States for Costs of Illegal Immigration
By: Bill Curtis
2:18 PM Tuesday, June 13th, 2006


Governor Schwarzenegger today sent the following letter to Congressional leaders, co-signed by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, calling on the House and Senate to earmark proposed new revenues in federal immigration reform legislation as grants to states to help them offset the costs of illegal immigration.


Full text of the letter:

June 13, 2006

Dear Senator Frist and Senator Reid,

Western governors have been meeting this past weekend and over the next two days will continue to discuss many important issues of mutual concern, one of which is the need for comprehensive immigration reform. We are encouraged that Congress is continuing to debate comprehensive immigration reform and urge your strong leadership to bring a resolution to this important issue before Congress adjourns this year.


Border security and immigration reform are the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government. Despite this, our states are now actively working with the federal government to help secure the border region. Moreover, our states continue to pay enormous costs associated with illegal immigration.



Our own National Guard troops will be deploying in missions along the border to support, and therefore free up, the personnel and resources of the United States Border Patrol. However, full implementation of border and immigration security measures will take time.



In the immediate term, the federal government should assume its responsibility for reimbursing states and local governments for the burden imposed by illegal immigration. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) set a precedent for a statutory reimbursement on a temporary basis. The State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants (SLIAG) program was created "to lessen the financial impact on State and local governments resulting from the adjustment of immigration status under the Act of certain aliens in the states."



The Senate-passed legislation included a similar state-impact assistance program. This is a good first step. However, the Senate measure generates billions of dollars that are almost entirely allocated back to the federal government. We believe states should receive a far greater share of these funds. Our states are currently burdened with billions of dollars in annual costs for services provided to undocumented immigrants. We believe that heavily impacted state and local governments should receive sufficient federal funds to offset our general fund costs for health care, state and local prisons and education. As the issues are worked out within the comprehensive reform measures between both houses, it is our expectation that any monies collected in fees or fines associated with the process of legal immigration be appropriately provided to offset the tremendous financial burden placed on Border States.



Beyond this, we urge you to continue your commitment to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which reimburses states for costs associated with the incarceration of criminal aliens. It is important that funding be provided, as has been done in the past, but at a higher level to address the enormous costs associated with the incarceration of illegal immigrants.



Just as we are now deploying our National Guard troops to the border, we stand committed and ready to work with the federal government to protect our nation and develop a comprehensive solution to immigration reform. As governors of states who bear an ever-growing burden due to illegal entries along our international border, we urge your support for impact assistance to offset these costs. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.



Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger Janet Napolitano

Beyond this, we urge you to continue your commitment to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which reimburses states for costs associated with the incarceration of criminal aliens. It is important that funding be provided, as has been done in the past, but at a higher level to address the enormous costs associated with the incarceration of illegal immigrants.

But Bush says these illegals are good hearted folk, who are honest, law abiding, family values type people, just here to do the jobs us fat ass Americans are too lazy to do.

When the Minutemen were watching the border Bush called them "vigilantes" for watching illegals crossing over and reported their positions to the Border Patrol. Now he has the National Guard at the border, but they cannot do anything more than watch and report on the entrance of illegal aliens and report them to the Border Patrol...gee, does that mean he will be calling them "vigilantes" too?

Ya leave sugar laying around ya get ants. Ahnold says I look the other way....now you should pay? I don't want to pay for his troops. I suggest he impose a tax on all those magnet areas known as "sanctuary cities." Might just write Reid and Frist myself and tell them no amnesty for Ahnold.

Screw you Arnie. Why should my tax dollars go toward your problems? You have done nothing to alleviate the illegal alien problem. You have sat on your hands while they have taken over your entire state and now you want me to pay? Go take a long walk off a short pier. Yeah illegal immigration is a federal issue, but nobody told you to give the illegals welfare, in-state tuition, free healthcare, free education, free housing, cut-rate mortgages and all the other nonsense. You want the illegals here, you pay for it Arnie, or maybe your boy Ted Kennedy can float you a personal loan, I hear he's quite compassionate when it comes to foreigners of all walks of life as long as they don't ride in his car with him.

I suggest he impose a tax on all those magnet areas known as "sanctuary cities."

Arnie didn't do squat while millions of illegals marched all over California and put LA on lockdown, what makes you think he would tax their hideouts. LA is pretty much a Mexican city (hellhole), Arnie might as well don a sombrero. He's nothing more than a political coward just like Jorge Bush.

Arnold and CA make billions every year from trade with Mexico. In addition, all of the non -illegals pay outrageous taxes especially property, to take care of these deadbeats.

I will be damned if I want my tax dollars going to reimburse him to give CA more money to abuse. The crooked politicians need to use profits from trade to take care of their own state problems

Arnie's net worth is 800 million. I make about 55k a year. Explain to me again why I should have to pay for Arnie's incompetence? If anyone should pay it should be steroid man. All those muscles and nothing, but dead air between his ears.

Schwarzenegger's dirty little secret that he supports the Senate version is out. We Californians know damn well that he is on board with the SPP plan, and thank God corporations can't vote in an election. He'll have to contend with the citizens of California. The only reason he got elected in the first place was because he promised to throw out the Drivers license for Illegals law that Gray Davis had passed. He's DOA come November unless he gets a backbone. PS Here in San Diego news outlets aren't reporting his meeting with Napolitano . It's Republican here and I bet this censorship is to prevent his supporters from getting Po'ed over his traitorous turn.

Arnold is putting pressure on the federal government to address the burden of excessive illegal immigration financially. I guess that's a good idea considering how the government weighs every issue on dollar amounts.

Maybe it will work.

Here's why:

The people call for the government to help them out with a problem.
The government does not want to deal with the issue because it is complicated and expensive to correct.
The government then pretends to address the problem just enough to appease the naive majority of the population.
The problem persists.

Arnold finds a legitimate way to hold the federal government financially responsible for the problem(s) resulting from illegal immigration.
The government cannot respond with emotional speeches and dramatic news reports of busts.
A certain dollar amount is either met or it is not met.
No gray area.

The federal government is left to decide whether they want to set up payments with no means to an end or actually do something about the problem, so they will not owe future money for the same problem.

Go Arnold!

The government does not want to deal with the issue because it is complicated and expensive to correct.

We're holding the wallet that this government spends out of. Just when in the last 50 years or so did expense become a consideration of this government. I will agree that they'd like Ahnold and the rest of us to get out their face so they can go on a golf trip.