July 13, 2009
Feds should pay the bill for immigrants in our prisons
Just months after the passage of $787 billion in federal stimulus spending, some economists and Washington officials are keeping the door open for a second such plan to revive the economy. Meanwhile, in California, we are straining to balance the budget, made more cumbersome by a $26.3 billion gulf between revenue and expenditures.
If the Obama administration really intends to help states, for a start, it should make good on the federal government's promises. One area where the federal government can positively contribute is by providing California with full funding for housing illegal immigrant prisoners.
Years of inadequate border security have brought us to the point where states and localities have been overwhelmed with absorbing additional education, social services and public safety costs. It's alarming that roughly 12 percent of our state's inmates are illegal immigrants, each one costing taxpayers an estimated $48,536 per year to house and contributing to severe prison overcrowding…
LINK - MyDesert.com (The Desert Sun)
