Sheriff warns federal funds for incarcerating illegal immigrants at risk

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca today expressed serious concern about a White House proposal to cut hundreds of millions in federal funds that offset the local costs of incarcerating illegal immigrants.

As part of the federal budget released last month, President Obama eliminated the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which last year paid local governments $400 million. U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is reviewing the decision.

Baca, who runs the largest county jail system in the nation, said the loss of the funds — typically about $14 million annually — would be particularly difficult given the state budget crisis and cutbacks by the county.

It cost the county $97 million to incarcerate illegal immigrants last year, and that’s projected to increase to $100 million this year, a sheriff’s spokesman said. The sheriff cannot turn illegal immigrants over to federal immigration officials because, by law, before they can be deported they must be prosecuted, sentenced and serve their time.

“The dark side of the illegal immigrant story is those that they commit crimes and are put in state and local prisons and jails,” Baca said.

“California happens to be the largest state with the largest illegal immigrant population. Thus, when the president zeros out this reimbursement program, it sends a message that we don’t care what it does to deplete your local dollars.”

California’s share of the federal funding had already declined during the past decade, to 39% from 68%, as more states have applied for reimbursement. SCAAP currently covers only about 11% of the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants statewide.

Last month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined 11 other governors in sending a letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee, urging them to fully fund the program at a cost of $950 million. A spokeswoman for the governor said he was continuing to lobby for more funding.

“Every SCAAP dollar we get in reimbursement is a dollar that can be spent on healthcare services and other general fund programs that are now suffering difficult cuts as a result of the economic recession,” spokeswoman Lisa Page said.

Baca said he spoke about SCAAP funding with White House representatives and members of California's congressional delegation during a visit to Washington last month. He said he was assured that legislation reinstating the funding, such as a measure proposed by Ken Calvert (R-Riverside), would succeed, as it did under Presidents Bush and Clinton.

Earlier this month, the appropriations committee voted to restore $300 million of the program’s funding, and that proposal could be taken up by the full House as early as next week, staff said.

Calvert had proposed adding another $100 million drawn from excess U.S. Census money allotted under the federal stimulus, but his proposal failed. Calvert, who said he has been hearing from California sheriffs upset about losing the federal money, said he plans to keep pursuing it.

“This is a federal responsibility,” he said. “We’ve got to come back and add money in because it’s absolutely necessary.”

--Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: Sheriff's Capt. Gerald Cooper, left, supervises as an officer at L.A. County's Inmate Reception Center asks an inmate about his immigration status. Credit: Brent Foster / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Marcos El Malo]

Is there a reason the Feds can't hold criminal illegal aliens until trial, if they are unable or unwilling to pay for county jail?

[stewart]

and when pray tell do we bill Mexico ?

[James]

Wow. How is it, that our government can maintain funds to keep legal residents under the three strikes law forever, but cant muster the funds to keep illegal alien criminals in to serve their sentence.

What the heck is going on????????????????????????????

[Susan Courtright]

This has been on my list of federal government-hands-the-pie to LA for years! IF it is against the law to turn over these thousands of illegals to the Feds, then Let's Change the Law! Why on earth should LA, the largest and most over-crowded of all systems nationally be constantly squuezed for funding for jailing, prosecuting and sentence-time for illegals??????? Send them back to their own countries' law enforcement systems under US federal escort and stop letting LA be the federal government's dumping ground!

[Estoban]

More change you can believe in? Apparently the Federal Government is willing to bail out Wall Street crooks, but unwilling to pay its own bills.

[DeWayne Stark]

Illegals broke the law coming here, then they broke others lawa and wound up behind bars, now an estimated 100 million must be spent to feed and house them. The state is cutting school budgets and many others: when will they stop importing illegals?