Amendment co-sponsored by Arizona lawmakers provides $400 million to critical federal program
WASHINGTON – Three Arizona lawmakers won a major legislative victory today when a decisive majority in the House backed their effort to restore funding to a federal program that reimburses state and local law enforcement agencies for incarcerating illegal immigrants.
U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, Ann Kirkpatrick and Harry Mitchell co-sponsored an amendment to an appropriations bill that will provide $400 million to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.
The amendment passed the House this afternoon in a 405 to 1 vote.
“This is a significant victory for communities in Arizona and across the country that are burdened by the federal government’s inability to secure our border,” said Giffords. “As long as local law enforcement agencies like the Pima and Cochise county sheriff’s offices are using their jails to incarcerate illegal immigrants, they should get compensated for it. This is the fair thing to do and my colleagues in the House clearly recognize that.”
Giffords, Kirkpatrick and Mitchell have been spearheading an effort to restore SCAAP funds since May, when President Obama released a proposed federal budget that eliminated funding for the program. Last year, SCAAP provided $17.4 million to Arizona law enforcement agencies.
“This funding is critical and it comes at a critical time,” said Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. “It will really help with the budget crunch we are facing.”
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever agreed. “Just about everybody gets the message how critical this funding is to our survival,” he said.
The initial objections by Giffords, Kirkpatrick and Mitchell to the president’s budget proposal prompted an appropriations subcommittee to set aside $300 million for SCAAP. The amendment approved today provided an additional $100 million. It was part of a bill that funds the Justice and Commerce departments, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and related agencies. That bill, H.R. 2847, passed in a 259 to 157 vote.
In 2008, 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. That is only 10 percent of the $124 million the state spent to house illegal immigrant inmates that year. The department estimates it will spend $128 million in 2009 to house, clothe, feed and provide medical care to illegal immigrant inmates, accounting for over 10 percent of their $978 million budget at a time when the department is facing severe cuts.
Dever noted that his department had more than 30 percent of its incarceration costs reimbursed by the federal government in 1997; today it’s less than 20 percent. Dupnik said that about 10 percent of his county’s jail population of 2,000 is comprised of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
Both sheriffs praised Giffords’ role in helping to restore SCAAP funds.
“Congresswoman Giffords has been an advocate for SCAAP funding since day one and I certainly appreciate it,” Dever said.
Said Dupnik, “The taxpayers of Pima County and I thank the congresswoman for all she has done. Her hard work has paid off.”