Jane Harman: “I rise in support in of the en bloc amendment offered by Chairman Brooks, and, in particular, the amendment offered by…”

“I rise in support in of the en bloc amendment offered by Chairman Brooks, and, in particular, the amendment offered by Representatives Beilenson, Berman, Condit, and Thurman which would require the Federal Government to reimburse States and localities for the costs of incarcerating undocumented aliens who have been convicted of a felony. The State of California will house about 18,000 undocumented felons this year at a cost to the State of more than $400 million. The number of undocumented workers in California prison is five times the number of any other State and represents a thirdfold increase over the last 6 years. Increases in incarceration costs to my State have even outpaced the growth of the costs of providing mandated medical care and education for the undocumented. Enough is enough. The taxpayers of California cannot afford to continue paying the costs of incarcerating criminals who enter the country in violation of Federal law. We need to be tougher at the border and I support dramatically increased resources for the Border Patrol. But the Federal Government also has a responsibility to relieve States of the burden of incarceration of convicted undocumented felons.”