On the recordFebruary 9, 1995
Mr. Chairman, most of those who enter our country, legally or illegally, are law abiding. But the small number that commit serious crimes place an overwhelming burden on the seven States that must address this problem. The plea for assistance with the costs of incarcerating felons who are in this country illegally comes from all of those States that are unfairly forced to share the disproportionate burden for this responsibility--the confinement of America's illegal immigrant population. For example, in 1993, the 16,000 illegal immigrants incarcerated in California's prisons accounted for 13 percent of our prison population. Our annual cost of incarcerating illegal immigrant felons is $368 million. Adequate reimbursement to affected States would not only help with shortages in personnel, training, and equipment. It would also ensure-- and maybe improve--safety levels in our jails and prisons, and in our communities.
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