Speech #1040020788

Chairman. I rise today to otter a modification to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida and myself. In short. this amendment would Include alien smuggling In the list of violent offenses that require a criminal alien to complete his sentence prior to execution of a final order of deportation. I would like to provide you with some facts about criminal aliens you may or may not already know. Approximately 27 percent of the Federal prison population is considered noncitizens. The American taxpayer pays almost halt a billion dollars per year to feed. clothe. and house these inmates. Number of noncilizen Federal inmates. 22.326. Cost per inmate per year. $20.885. Cost per year for all noncitizen inmates. $466 million. Number of criminal aliens eligible for early deportation under this amendment. 15.774. Estimated maximum savings if Attorney General deports all eligible criminal aliens. $329 million. H.R. 668 is a good bill because it takes major strides toward quick and effective deportation of criminal aliens. It shortens the Altorney Generals time limit for obtaining deportation orders. expands the definilion of aggravated felony. and severely limits the types of relief from deportation the Attorney General can provide. However. it lacks the provisions necessary to deal with the unsettling realities I noted earlier. Specifically. the FoleyBurr amendment would give the Attorney General the ability. at her discretion. to execute a deportation order of a criminal alien prior to completion of his sentence. However. the Attorney General cannot deport a criminal alien early if the criminal alien has been convicted of a violent offense or. as my modification stipulates. alien smuggling. By making this distinction. we ensure that the worst of the criminal aliens receive their due punishment while alleviating a weighty financial burden on the taxpayer.