Speech #990222385

We do virtually nothing. But the Federal Government. by law. has the responsibility to do something. I will read the opening paragraph: Law enforcement agencies have given up pressing for the deportation of most aliens arrested for selling drugs in New York City because. officials say. the Immigration and Naturalization Service is unable or unwilling to investigate the cases. The issue is of growing concern. law enforcement officials say. because up to half of the hundreds of people the police arrest each month for selling crack are aliens. I repeat: "up to half of the hundreds of people the police arrest each month for selling crack are aliens." I continue reading: The use of crack. a potent form of cocaine. has spread rapidly in the past year. Under Federal law. foreigners convicted of narcotics violations may be expelled from the country. even if they are not illegal aliens. If they are not deported. prosecutors say. most of them wind up back on the street. Then there is a subheading: "Years of Budget Cutbacks." and the article states: But the immigration services assistant commissioner for investigation. John F. Shaw. said immigration authorities could not be expected to deport all the aliens convicted of drug charges if the courts are too overwhelmed to send them to jail. The immigration service. he said. is trying to do the best it can with only 81 investigators in the New York office and after years of budget cutbacks. The Deputy Director of INS is authorized to fill 161 positions in New York. He has only had enough funds to maintain 111 positions. 81 of which are street investigators. Eightyone investigators. of whom it turns out that 19 investigate cases of aliens charged with criminal offenses. In March of this year. my distinguished colleague and friend. Senator DAMATO. received from the General Accounting Office a study of this subject. which found that of the 200 people the Immigration Service identified last November as criminal or illegal aliens who met the legal criterion for deportation. 77 percent were arrested again for committing another crime and 11 percent were arrested five or more times. r] 1710 That. Mr. President. is not an example of Congress setting priorities.