Speech #990082681

But despite their best efforts. the States are losing ground. Last year. 17.365 convicted criminals were released from State prisons. not because they were rehabilitated or had served their sentences. but simply because of prison overcrowding. In virtually every State. the illegal alien felon problem. brought about by Federal immigration policies. only makes the States problems worse. It is time that we accept our responsibility for adding to the States burden. More than 3.000 illegal aliens. and more than 1.700 Marielito Cuban felons released from Castros prisons in 1980. have been convicted of felonies and are now adding to the overcrowding in our State prisons. The States did not create this situation. The Federal Government did.