Thread: Here illegally and criminals as well

VON SPAKOVSKY: Here illegally and criminals as well
5:22 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, 2011


By Hans A. von Spakovsky-The Washington Times


Those who support amnesty and nonenforcement of our immigration laws don’t like to talk about how much illegal immigration costs American citizens. But a March report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) graphically illustrates some of those costs, which go far beyond dollars.

GAO found that one of every four inmates in federal prisons is an illegal immigrant. And that number is rising. Since 2005, the number of criminal aliens in federal prison has increased by 7 percent.

Two thirds (68 percent) of those incarcerated aliens came from Mexico. Just think of how much less crime we would have if we put in the manpower and resources required to stop the flow of illegal immigrants across our Southern border.

Of course, not all illegal immigrants convicted of criminal activity are housed in federal prisons. Washington provides partial reimbursement (about 23 percent) to states that incarcerate criminal aliens through the Justice Department’s State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). GAO estimates nearly 300,000 SCAAP aliens are confined in state and local prisons — a 35 percent increase from 2003.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of SCAAP prisoners are locked up in just six states — California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, New York and Illinois. California alone holds more than 100,000 — at huge cost to state taxpayers — while Texas incarcerates 37,000. As with federal inmates, the vast majority (66 percent) of aliens in state prisons are from Mexico.

Obviously, these incarcerated aliens represent a huge drain on taxpayers. The criminal justice system — from investigation to arrest to prosecution and imprisonment — does not come cheap. But the cost in terms of the safety and lives of American citizens is even higher — indeed, incalculable. GAO found “criminal aliens were arrested about 1.7 million times, averaging about 7 arrests per criminal alien.â€

You just need to look at the whose in jail in Collier County where there are alot of illegals and you will see it. The website is very good and easy to follow. The Broward County Sheriff's Office has a mug shots section in the Sun Sentinel on line and that one is not bad as you can look up immigration holds and see who is on there and you can often tell which ones are illegals and which ones are legal immigrants who committed certain felonies.