Speech #1100145645

Congress provided $400 million in 2008 for this program. The Director of the Bureau of Prisons. Harry Lapin. testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that 27 percent of the entire Federal prison population is composed of noncitizensindividuals who committed crimes after they entered the country. They are not in jail for immigration offenses. I am not talking about that. We are talking about assault. robbery. drug trafficking. murder. and the like. That is a dramatic number. We dont know the exact percentages for all State and local prison facilities. but we do have some snapshot statistics. These statistics illustrate that the percentage of State and local jail populations made up of illegal aliens is likely to be similar to Federal prison percentages in a number of areas. According to a February 2008 California Public Policy Institute report titled "Crime. Corrections. and California." 17 percent of Californias jail population was born outside the United States. The New York Times reported that the Los Angeles County Sheriff has reported that 23 percent of inmates in county jails were deportable. A Center for Immigration Studies study. authored by Manhattan Institute Scholar Heather McDonald. states that: In Los Angeles. 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1.200 to 1.500) target illegal aliens. Up to twothirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17.000) are for illegal aliens. A 2007 DOJ report indicates that 73 of 100 criminal aliens are rearrested at least once. and that the average criminal alien Is rearrested six times before deportation. A 2005 GAO report found the average arrest rate for a sample population of aliens incarcerated in Federal. State. and local jails to be even higher. an average of eight arrests per illegal alien. In 2009. we have the opportunity to expand and carry out effectively the existing Criminal Alien Removal Program and to fully evaluate all noncitizens in Federal. State. and local prison populations. It would ensure that criminal aliens are deported to their home countries at the end of their sentences and that they are not released back into society first. This is the problem. What if a person is in jail serving a sentence. is going to be released. and is an illegal who. by law. must be deported as a result of being convicted of a crime in this country. If you allow them to be released from the State or Federal jail before you set up the procedure to have them deported. how many do you think are showing up to be deported? They are not showing up. It completely eviscerates the whole concept of the system. Of course. if we are going to have a deportation system. we need to be evaluating those persons who appropriately and lawfully should be deported as a result of their convictions for crimesdrugs. assaults. murderand they ought to be deported. It is just not happening effectively. and it indicates to me that our Government still does not get itabout the things necessary to create a lawful system of immigration that we can be proud of. We ought to be encouraging lawabiding people to come herepeople with skills. people who speak English. people who are going to contribute to our societyand not allowing our immigration slots to be filled with persons who come and commit crimes. How logical is that? The success of any nationwide law enforcement effort depends on effective partnerships with all levels of law enforcement. Federal immigration agents alonethere are less than 20.000 in the interior of the United Stateswill not solve our interior enforcement problem. It is just a fact. A partnership with the 700.000 State and local law enforcement officers is essential if we want to make this system work.