California taxpayers have spent more than $1 billion in the last 5 years to house convicted felons illegally in the United States. There are. he estimates. more than 15.000 such inmates in the States prisons now and expects that number to increase to more than 18.000 in this fiscal year. The cost to California of housing those prisoners in fiscal year 19941995 is expected to exceed $375 million. and that doesnt include another $18 million for the cost of housing 600 to 700 Illegal alien juveniles in the care of the California Youth Authority. Congress has twice recognized the moral imperative to assume the States costs of incarcerating illegal alien felons: Once in 1986. when it expressly required the Attorney General to reimburse the States in the Immigration Reform and Control Act. And again in the omnibus crime bill adopted by the Senate just last Session. which permits the Attorney General to transfer such prisoners to Federal facilities or to reimburse States for their costs. The directive in IRCA. however. was made subject to appropriations and. once again. no Federal funds to reimburse States for these costs are contained in the Presidents fiscal year 1995 budget.
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Immigration illegal alien Illegal alien