Arizona may lose federal aid to jail illegal immigrants
Bush wants states to pick up tab
By Sergio Bustos
Gannett News Service
Feb. 5, 2003
WASHINGTON - For the second straight year, President Bush wants to kill a program that helps hundreds of state and local governments, including Arizona, recoup part of the costs of keeping criminal immigrants behind bars.
In sending his 2004 budget wish list to Congress on Monday, Bush proposed eliminating the 8-year-old State Criminal Alien Assistance Program because it does not fit with the Justice Department's main mission. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Making matters worse for state and local governments: A request by border lawmakers to fund the program in fiscal 2003, which began last October, is still bottled up in Congress. Lawmakers want more than $500 million.
If the program is scratched from the federal budget, every state will lose money. But Arizona, California, New York, Texas, Florida and New Jersey stand to lose the most because they are home to the most illegal immigrants. California and its local governments got almost $226 million in 2001.
Arizona and its local governments got $23.8 million. The funding included $3.1 million for Maricopa County and $733,848 for Pima County.
Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, said he will fight to get the funding approved by Congress.
"Illegal immigration is a federal responsibility and the financial consequences of a failed border policy should not be imposed on states," the Tucson Republican said.
The federal money, however, does not fully reimburse local and state governments the total costs for incarcerating illegal immigrants who commit crimes. On average, the reimbursement covers less than 40 cents of every dollar spent, according to Justice Department officials who manage the program.
Ironically, when Bush was Texas governor he railed against Congress and the Clinton administration for not giving states enough money to cover the cost of jailing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes.
"If the federal government cannot do its job of enforcing the borders, then it owes the states monies to pay for its failure," Bush said in 1995. At the time, Texas had lost a lawsuit claiming that the federal government owed it $5 billion for the costs of dealing with illegal immigrants.
Today, Bush administration officials have argued that the program doesn't "advance the core mission of the Justice Department."
Border lawmakers aren't buying the argument.
Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said the federal government would be shirking its responsibilities if it does not come up with the money.
"Border counties and states are drowning in red ink because they are forced to foot the bill for the federal government's failure to secure our border," Flake said. "It's only fair that the federal government reimburse states."
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