Chairman. most of those who enter our counlry. legally or illegally. are law abiding. But the small number that commit serious crimes place an overwhelming burden on the seven States that must address this problem. The plea for assistance with the costs of incarcerating felons who are in this country illegally comes from all of those States that are unfairly forced to share the disproportionate burden for this responsibilitythe confinement of Americas Illegal Immigrant population. For example. In 1993. the 16.000 illegal immigrants incarcerated In Californias prisons accounted for 13 percent of our prison population. Our annual cost of incarcerating illegal immigrant felons is $368 million. Adequate reimbursement to affected States would not only help with shortages in personnel. training. and equipment. It would also ensureand maybe improvesafety levels in our jails and prisons. and in our communities.
Identified stereotypes
A small number of undocumented immigrants commit serious crimes.