Cost of jailing illegal immigrants soars; feds plan to cancel funding

Source: arizona capitol times

The Legislature and the governor have approved a two-bill package that suspends payment of $300 million to school districts until next fiscal year and instead allows districts to tap into their excess cash balances to cover ongoing expenses.

Now, though, President Barack Obama is floating a proposal to pull the federal share of funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance (SCAAP) program starting next year, and Arizona’s congressional delegation is pleading with colleagues to thwart the plan.

The Arizona Department of Corrections received $12.8 million from the federal government to house the 5,600 criminal illegal immigrants who were in state prisons in 2008, according to state figures provided to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. For comparison, Arizona spent about $124 million to house illegal immigrant inmates that year.

Right now, Arizona’s state prisons hold 6,100 illegal immigrants, 15 percent of the total inmate population, and the Department of Corrections estimates it will spend $128 million this year to house, clothe, feed and provide medical care to illegal immigrant inmates, said department spokesman Barrett Marson.



Read more: http://www.azcapitoltimes.com/story.cfm?id=11176

across the boarder?

They aren't in jail because of illegal immigration. They are jailed because of crimes like burglary, rape and murder. So nobody wants to just let them out, even if it is across the border.

and let them jail them

Arizona is a state that hands down sentences for immigration offenses and deports them after their sentences are completed.

Arizona is big on that.