Political Quotes

“I want to state my full support for what I have been told will be a $500 million funding level for SCAAP in the House fiscal year 2003 bill. Through the Crime Control Act of 1994, the Congress created SCAAP to reimburse States and localities for the costs they incur incarcerating criminal illegal aliens. Such costs, it has been made clear, are the responsibility of the Federal Government. Previously, SCAAP was authorized at $650 million, although total expenditures of the States and localities exceeds $1.6 billion per year. Last year, the Congress reauthorized the program for the next 2 fiscal years at an open-ended level. Though the financial burden to process and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens overwhelms the budgets of many States and localities, SCAAP has never even been allocated to its full authorization. Over the past 5 years, SCAAP has usually been funded at levels between $500 million and $600 million, which has provided States and localities reimbursement of about 30 cents for each dollar spent on incarceration.”