[Budget of the U.S. Government]
[V. Creating Opportunity, Demanding Responsibility, and Strengthening Community]
[5. Enforcing the Law]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 85]]
5. ENFORCING THE LAW
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At the beginning of my Administration, we set out to change the country's approach to crime by putting more
officers on our streets through community policing, and taking guns out of the hands of criminals. We are making
a difference. Today, our neighborhoods are safer, and we are restoring the American people's confidence that
crime can be reduced.
President Clinton
January 5, 1997
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The budget extends the Administration's commitment to cut crime, curb
the scourge of illegal drugs, and secure the Nation's borders.
With overall crime dropping, the budget proposes to make further
progress while targeting a remaining area of concern--juvenile crime and
violence. In addition, the budget continues the President's progress
toward putting 100,000 more police on the street, while increasing State
grants for prison construction and for preventing violence against
women. While crime remains mainly a State and local responsibility, the
success of the Brady bill in preventing over 100,000 felons, fugitives,
and stalkers from obtaining guns shows the Federal Government also has
an important role to play.
The budget renews the Administration's efforts to fight drug abuse,
particularly by focusing on youth prevention programs to reverse the
recent trends of softening attitudes towards drugs and increased drug
use by youth. It also continues efforts to stress treatment and
prevention, domestic law enforcement, international programs, and
interdiction. It would increase funds for the innovative Drug Courts
initiative, for drug testing, for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities Program, for targeted interdiction efforts along the
Nation's Southern border, and for disrupting the drug industry and its
leadership overseas. The budget proposes to increase spending for these
purposes by over $800 million in 1998, and by more than $6 billion
between 1997 and 2002.
Finally, the budget strengthens the Administration's aggressive
efforts to control illegal immigration by targeting resources to stop
those who want to enter the United States illegally, detain and quickly
remove those who slipped by, and make it harder for illegal immigrants
to get jobs. It proposes to strengthen border enforcement in the South
and West, to continue Port Courts to expedite removals, and to expand
efforts to verify the employment eligibility of newly hired non-
citizens.
Fighting Crime
The Administration's efforts to work with communities and local
police forces are paying off. Serious and violent crime dropped for the
fifth year in a row in 1996, marking the longest period of decline in 25
years.
But, while overall crime rates are dropping, young people are
increasingly the perpetrators and victims of some of society's most
violent crimes. As a result, the Administration's crime-fighting agenda
includes a major focus on reducing juvenile crime and violence. Its
programs recognize that youth violence has to be addressed in the home,
on the street, and in the community.
The budget proposes $24.9 billion to control crime, an increase of
$1.1 billion over 1997, as illustrated on Chart 5-1. Of the total, the
Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund (VCRTF) provides $5.5 billion toward
programs authorized in the 1994 Crime Act, an increase of $817 million
over 1997, as shown on Table 5-1. Federal spending, however, accounts
for only 17 percent of all
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law enforcement resources. Thus, the Administration proposes to continue empowering States and communities, which play the central role in controlling crime, particularly violent crime.
Community Policing: The cornerstone of the President's program to
fight crime, particularly violent crime in our communities, is his plan
to place 100,000 more police officers on the streets by 2000. Putting
the idea of community policing into action, the program seeks to cut
crime, violence, and disorder by applying proven, effective programs and
strategies. By the end of 1997, the Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) initiative will have funded about 64,000 additional police
officers. For 1998, the budget proposes $1.4 billion to put nearly
17,000 more officers on the street in local communities.
In addition to funding new police officers, COPS enables local law
enforcement agencies to buy sophisticated crime equipment and hire
support personnel. These purchases, in turn, allow communities to deploy
more officers. To enhance State and local law enforcement recruitment,
retention, and education, the budget proposes $20 million each for the
Police Corps and for police scholarships, increasing the number of
police officers with advanced education and training.
Juveniles: The budget proposes a $50 million increase to support more
local community prevention programs such as mentoring, truancy
prevention, and gang intervention. To prevent young people from becoming
involved in the juvenile justice system, the budget expands programs
that provide supervised afternoon and evening activities for youth.
These programs include $63 million for community schools, supervision,
and youth services grants--an increase of $50 million over 1997.
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Table 5-1. VIOLENT CRIME REDUCTION TRUST FUND SPENDING BY FUNCTION
(Budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollar Percent
1996 1997 1998 Change: Change:
Actual Estimate Proposed 1996 to 1996 to
1998 1998
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prevention:
Violence Against Women..................................... 228 259 381 +153 +67%
Drug Courts................................................ 18 30 75 +57 +317%
Prison Drug Treatment...................................... 27 30 63 +36 +133%
Other Prevention Programs.................................. 4 34 57 +53 +1,483%
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Prevention..................................... 277 353 576 +299 +108%
State and Local Assistance:
Community Policing......................................... 1,400 1,420 1,545 +145 +10%
Incarceration of Violent Offenders......................... 618 670 710 +93 +15%
Incarceration of Undocumented Criminal Aliens.............. 300 330 350 +50 +17%
Other State and Local Assistance........................... 690 790 707 +17 +2%
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, State and Local Assistance..................... 3,008 3,210 3,312 +304 +10%
Federal Law Enforcement Assistance:
Department of Justice...................................... 702 1,002 1,444 +742 +106%
Department of the Treasury................................. 69 89 118 +49 +70%
Judiciary.................................................. 30 30 50 +20 +67%
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Federal Law Enforcement Assistance............. 801 1,121 1,612 +811 +101%
==================================================
Total, Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund.................... 4,085 4,683 5,500 +1,415 +35%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund received appropriations for the first time in 1995.
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Gangs: The President has worked hard to get guns off the streets and
out of the hands of children, to crack down on violent teen
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gangs, and to teach children that drugs are wrong, illegal, and dangerous. As gangs become an increasingly powerful and deadly force, the Administration is
pursuing a coordinated national strategy to combat them. For example,
the budget proposes $100 million for prosecutorial offices to hire more
prosecutors and take other steps, $50 million for a new juvenile court
initiative, and $75 million for a local youth crime intervention
initiative. The budget also proposes programs specifically targeted to
stem violence on the street and in public housing, including:
Safe Streets Task Forces: The budget proposes $93 million to
continue the Safe Streets program, which blends the efforts of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other Federal
law enforcement agencies with those of State and local police
departments to investigate street crime and violence.
One Strike, You're Out: The President believes that public
housing is a privilege, not a right, and residents who commit
crime and peddle drugs should be immediately evicted. The
budget provides $290 million to support anti-drug and anti-
crime activities in public housing, including enforcement of
the President's One Strike, You're Out initiative.
Violent Offenders: The Administration seeks to ensure that convicted
violent offenders serve at least 85 percent of their sentences behind
bars. To reach this goal, the budget proposes $710 million in State
grants to build new prisons and jail cells under two programs--the
Violent Offender Incarceration and the Truth in Sentencing Programs.
Nation-
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wide, the prison population is growing by over 1,700 inmates a
week, and will likely grow faster as tougher sentencing laws and
practices that these grant programs require are implemented. The 1998
funding level finances about 9,500 new prison beds. It includes $150
million to reimburse States for the costs of incarcerating criminal
aliens and $35 million to improve State and local correctional
facilities that hold Federal prisoners.
Crime Prevention: The President's Crime Prevention Council, which the
Vice President chairs, seeks to coordinate Federal approaches to
preventing crime. It helps communities get information about crime
prevention programs, develops strategies for integrating programs and
simplifying grants, publishes a catalog of prevention programs, and
provides grants to communities for youth crime prevention programs.
Violence Against Women: The Administration recognizes that violence
against women is a growing problem. To combat gender-based crime, the
budget proposes $381 million--the full authorized level and an increase
of $123 million over 1997. Programs in this category include grants to
encourage mandatory arrest policies and to encourage coordination among
law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and victims assistance
organizations. Academic studies show that mandatory arrest policies
often break the cycle of violence and reduce subsequent incidents of
domestic violence. The expansion of these programs will enable States to
enhance their efforts to respond to violent crimes committed against
women, and to further expand access to previously under-served Indian
and other minority populations.
State Prison Drug Testing: The budget proposes $63 million for this
program, a $33 million increase over 1997. The funding would allow
States to increase the number of residential substance abuse programs
and treat about 23,000 prisoners. Experts generally agree that drug
treatment programs aimed at prisoners are among the most cost-effective
programs available in the fight against crime. In 1997, the President
proposed and Congress agreed to require States to test prisoners and
parolees as a condition for receiving State prison grants.
Counter-terrorism: While acts of domestic terrorism have been isolated
incidents, the Administration has sought more Federal resources to
ensure the safety and security of the Government and public from these
violent, illegal acts. The President sought additional resources last
year to fight terrorism, and Congress overwhelmingly agreed, providing
$1.1 billion in new counter-terrorism funds. The budget would continue
these programs.
Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is quickly becoming the growth drug
of the 1990s. Also known on the street as ``crank,'' ``ice,'' and
``speed,'' methamphetamine is a dangerous stimulant that generates the
same addiction cycle and psychological trauma associated with crack
cocaine. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) trains its agents, as
well as State and local law enforcement agencies, to seize clandestine
methamphetamine laboratories. Since 1994, the DEA has devoted almost 10
percent more work hours to methamphetamine investigations. The budget
proposes to increase funding by $11 million to continue DEA's anti-
methamphetamine efforts.
Digital Telephony: The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement
Act ensures that law enforcement agencies can conduct court-authorized
wiretaps as the Nation converts from analog to digital communications
technology. With $100 million available in 1997 to help develop the
technology changes to provide this capability, the President proposes
another $100 million in 1998 to continue the effort.
Combating Drug Abuse and Drug-Related Crime
Drug abuse and drug-related crime cost our society an estimated $67
billion a year \1\ and destroy the lives and futures of our most
precious resource--our children. Illicit drug trafficking breeds crime,
violence, and corruption across the globe, drug use facilitates the
spread of AIDS and other deadly diseases, and addiction erodes the
user's dignity and productivity. The effects of drug use and drug-
related crime are felt acutely by all
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Americans, transcending economic, geographic, and other boundaries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Substance Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem,'' Key
Indicators for Policy, Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University
(1993).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The budget proposes $16.0 billion for anti-drug abuse programs, a
five-percent increase over 1997. It builds on earlier initiatives by
renewing the emphasis on drug treatment and prevention, especially for
children and adolescents; domestic law enforcement; international
programs; and interdiction. (For summary information, see Table 5-2.)
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Table 5-2. DRUG CONTROL FUNDING
(Budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollar Percent
1996 1997 1998 Change: Change:
Actual Estimate Proposed 1996 to 1996 to
1998 1998
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demand Reduction............................................. 4,441 4,977 5,474 +1,034 +23%
Supply Reduction............................................. 9,013 10,182 10,502 +1,489 +17%
--------------------------------------------------
Total, Drug Control Funding................................ 13,454 15,159 15,977 +2,523 +19%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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In particular, the budget proposes a coordinated, multi-agency
approach to combating all types of substance abuse among youth--
including tobacco and alcohol--with a comprehensive prevention
initiative that focuses, in particular, on State-level data documenting
trends in drug use. This comprehensive approach, consistent with the
President's National Drug Control Strategy, comes in response to
national surveys showing a dramatic rise in substance abuse among
adolescents.
Community-Based Prevention: The Administration is committed to
reversing the trend of increased drug use by our youth, and it proposes
$2.2 billion for drug prevention programs, 15 percent more than in 1997.
After significant and consistent declines through the 1980s, teenage
drug use is rising and anti-drug attitudes have softened--due in part to
drug glamorization in the popular culture and the recent debate
concerning drug legalization. In light of the recent ``medicinal
marijuana'' initiatives adopted in California and Arizona, the
Administration believes it is more important than ever to continue
sending a single ``no use'' message and to focus on keeping America's
youth drug free.
National Media Awareness Campaign: The Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will develop a media campaign--to
include public service announcements, targeted at youth and
their parents, on the consequences of drug use and the use of
alcohol and tobacco. ONDCP will finance the campaign from the
$175 million in discretionary funds that the budget proposes
for ONDCP's Director to combat emerging drug abuse threats.
The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program: The
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program is the
Federal Government's largest effort to inoculate children
against drug abuse and ensure that schools are safe and
disciplined learning environments. The program supports drug
and violence prevention efforts in 97 percent of all school
districts through educational activities, teacher training,
curriculum development, peer counseling, security services,
and other activities. The budget proposes to spend $620
million for this program, 12 percent more than in 1997, and to
encourage States to adopt models of proven effectiveness.
Drug Intervention: The budget proposes $3.3 billion to treat drug
abuse, seven percent more than in 1997. The Administration seeks to
address drug abuse where the battle is toughest--in the streets, in
jails, and in urban and rural drug markets. A priority is treating
chronic, hard-core drug users; they consume a disproportionate amount of
illicit drugs and impose a disproportionate share of drug-related costs
on society.
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Drug Courts: The budget proposes $75 million, a 150-percent
increase over 1997, for the Drug Courts initiative. These
courts offer an alternative to incarceration for non-violent
offenders who are willing to participate in, and would benefit
from, rehabilitative drug treatment. Drug Court programs rely
on sanctions, such as incarceration and increased drug-testing
and supervision, to encourage treatment.
Substance Abuse Treatment: The budget proposes $1.3 billion,
one percent more than in 1997, to support State substance
abuse activities, which target resources to local user
populations. In addition, the budget maintains support for
treatment and prevention services for everyone in need,
including pregnant women, high-risk youth, and other under-
served Americans. (For a discussion of funding proposals for
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, see
Chapter 1.)
Arrestee Drug Testing: The budget includes $42 million, 40
percent more than in 1997, for the costs associated with drug-
testing Federal, State, and local arrestees. With these funds,
the Administration would establish Federal demonstration pre-
trial drug testing programs and promote new, comprehensive
drug testing programs at the State and local levels, for both
pre-trial and post-conviction populations. In addition, the
Administration has begun requiring, as a condition of
receiving Federal highway funds, that every State make it
illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with alcohol in his or
her bloodstream.
Domestic Drug Law Enforcement: The budget proposes $8.4 billion for
domestic drug law enforcement, four percent more than in 1997. The funds
would enhance Federal law enforcement efforts while targeting new
resources to community-based law enforcement, stopping the flow of
illegal drugs through the Southwest border, and training Federal, State,
and local law enforcement agencies to seize clandestine methamphetamine
laboratories. The Federal role would continue to focus on providing
leadership and training; fostering intergovernmental cooperation through
the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, DEA's Southwest
border initiative, and other efforts; and providing incentives to States
and localities to adopt proven drug control methods. The number of High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas has risen from five in 1993 to 15 in
1997.
Interdiction and International Programs: The Administration has
launched a multi-faceted international strategy, making it harder for
traffickers to smuggle illicit drugs into the United States for sale.
Southern Tier of the United States: The Administration is
working to stem the flow of narcotics through land and
seaports along the Nation's Southern tier. The budget would
reinforce efforts by the Customs Service to strengthen border
enforcement along the Southern tier by providing $36 million
for increased drug interdiction efforts. The budget also
increases support for other Southwest border interdiction
efforts, including $16 million for the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS), $46 million for the DEA's and
the FBI's Southwest border drug interdiction efforts, and $47
million for Coast Guard interdiction activities.
Source Nation Efforts: Internationally, the United States is
focusing on not just interdiction in source countries and
transit zones, but also on disrupting the drug leadership and
its production, marketing, and money laundering structure.
Increased U.S. efforts in Colombia helped secure the arrest of
several Cali Cartel leaders. The budget proposes to increase
funding for counter-narcotics programs in Peru to $40 million,
74 percent more than in 1997, to encourage that nation to grow
crops other than drugs. The budget also proposes to continue
funding for the same purpose in Bolivia.
Deterring Illegal Immigration
The President has put a high priority on controlling our Nation's
borders, reversing decades of neglect. He has launched an aggressive
strategy of deterrence and has fought successfully for a dramatic
increase in INS resources to stop illegal entry, detain and promptly
remove those here illegally, and end the easy access to the Nation's job
market that illegal workers have enjoyed.
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As a Nation of immigrants, the United States continues to welcome
those who seek legal entry and refugees who seek protection from harm in
their home countries. In 1996 alone, the Nation welcomed over a million
new naturalized U.S. citizens. As a Nation of laws, however, we are
committed to maintaining the integrity of our borders, and deterring and
removing those who are here illegally.
Over the past five years, in coordination with Congress, the
Administration has increased funding for INS by 111 percent. The budget
continues support for efforts that advance border control and illegal
alien detention and removal, and the efficient processing of those
seeking citizenship. The budget proposes $3.6 billion for INS, 13
percent more than in 1997 and 41 percent more than in 1996 (see Table 5-
3).
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Table 5-3. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE FUNDING BY PROGRAM
(Budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollar Percent
1993 1996 1998 Change: Change:
Actual Actual Proposed 1996 to 1996 to
1998 1998
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appropriated Funds:
Border Patrol.............................................. 354 536 818 +282 +53%
Investigations and intelligence............................ 142 190 277 +87 +46%
Land border inspections.................................... 83 116 157 +41 +35%
Detention and deportation.................................. 161 289 581 +292 +101%
Program support and construction........................... 227 600 624 +24 +4%
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Appropriated Funds............................. 967 1,731 2,457 +726 +42%
Fee collections and reimbursements:
Citizenship and benefits................................... 308 523 648 +125 +24%
Air/sea inspections and support............................ 243 320 419 +99 +31%
Detention and support...................................... 12 11 117 +106 +964%
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal, Fee Collections and Reimbursements............. 563 854 1,184 +330 +39%
==================================================
Total, Immigration and Naturalization Service................ 1,530 2,585 3,641 +1,056 +41%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Securing the Border: Controlling the Nation's 6,000-mile border with
limited resources is a continuing challenge for INS. The
Administration's goal is unambiguous--to ensure that the border deters
illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and alien smuggling, while
facilitating legal immigration and commerce. The President's immigration
initiative included a strategy to gain control at the Southwest border
and restore the rule of law, and the Administration backed it up with
unprecedented increases in Border Patrol agents, advanced technology,
and investments in infrastructure. The budget would fulfill the
President's commitment to a Border Patrol staffing goal of 7,000
agents--an 85-percent increase from 1993 to 1998 (see Chart 5-2).
Border Enforcement Strategy: Over the past four years, the
Administration has launched targeted enforcement initiatives
in Texas, California, and Arizona to control parts of the
border that were historically the major corridors for illegal
immigration. In the San Diego, El Paso, and Tucson areas--
sites that account for over 75 percent of illegal crossings
and where the Border Patrol has focused more resources over
the past few years--violent
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and property crime rates have
dropped by a dramatic 15 to 39 percent. This targeted use of
Border Patrol agents in urban areas has forced illegal
crossers to rural, mountainous, and desert locations where the
difficult terrain gives the Border Patrol an advantage in
apprehending them.
Border Infrastructure and Technology: The Administration has,
along the entire Southwest border, expanded advanced
technology to support enforcement. The technology includes the
IDENT system, an automated fingerprint identification system
that allows INS, for the first time, to readily identify
criminal aliens, track illegal crossing patterns, and collect
data on repeat crossers. With the help of the National Guard
and military personnel, the INS also has built over 63 miles
of fencing and 1,200 miles of roads, and installed over 17
miles of lighting to control drug trafficking, alien
smuggling, and illegal immigration. And, since 1993, INS has
added over 165 infrared night scopes, 8,600 ground sensors,
and 8,000 encrypted radios to support enhanced border
enforcement.
Border Control and Detention Construction: For too long, INS
has worked from decrepit and inadequate Border Patrol
stations, and has been forced to incarcerate illegal aliens in
antiquated and unsafe detention facilities. The budget
supports an INS construction program that would complete six
Border Patrol projects and two detention facility projects.
Along with the military, INS also would fund 11 fencing,
border lighting, vehicle barrier, and road projects to secure
the Southwest border.
Detaining and Removing Illegal Aliens: Last year's immigration reform
law requires mandatory incarceration, pending deportation, for aliens
involved in crime. The Administration is moving quickly to implement the
law, funding 1,864 more jail beds in 1998 and adding investigators and
detention staff. The budget would bring total detention bedspace to over
13,900 beds in 1998 and fund nearly
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3,200 staff to support detention and deportation activities. INS removed over 68,200 aliens, including 37,000 criminal aliens, in 1996 and estimates that it will remove over 93,000 aliens, at least 55,000 of them criminal aliens, in 1997.
Port Courts: The Port Court program, initiated in 1995 in San
Diego, imposes immediate consequences--including exclusion and
deportation--for those who attempt to enter the United States
with fraudulent documents or small amounts of drugs. In its
first full year of operation, over 8,000 aliens were removed
through expedited proceedings at the Port Court. The budget
provides funds to continue the Port Court concept in San Diego
and at the Miami Airport.
Institutional Hearing Program (IHP): Under this program,
criminal aliens have a deportation hearing while serving time
in a Federal or State institution, paving the way for
immediate deportation upon completion of a criminal sentence.
The program ensures that criminal aliens are not released onto
the streets. INS has expanded this program, which began in
California, to States with large incarcerated alien
populations. In 1995, INS began cooperative IHPs in
California, Texas, New York, and Florida. The budget continues
funding for IHP programs in these States and in New Jersey and
Arizona.
State and Local Alien Incarceration: Through the State
Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the President has
provided unprecedented help to reimburse State and local
governments for the costs of incarcerating illegal criminal
aliens. In 1996, the Federal Government provided $495 million
to reimburse 49 States and 94 localities--covering most costs
associated with incarcerating aliens in non-Federal
facilities. The budget extends the commitment, providing $500
million for reimbursements. The Federal Government plans to
ensure that States and localities receiving SCAAP funds fully
cooperate with INS in its efforts to expedite criminal alien
removals.
Reducing the Job Magnet for Illegal Entry: The U.S. economy acts as a
powerful ``job magnet,'' drawing hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens
to this country each year. The Administration has built a strong
foundation for an effective worksite enforcement strategy to reduce the
draw of illegal aliens.
Employment and Data Verification: In 1995, INS launched a
pilot employment verification system with over 200 employers
in Orange County, California. It allowed employers to quickly
verify the employment eligibility of newly hired non-citizens.
INS expanded the pilot in 1996 to over 1,000 employers and
into Florida. The budget proposes over $30 million in
additional funding to correct INS data and expand verification
efforts.
Worksite Enforcement: In 1996, INS removed over 15,000
illegal workers from the workplace through such enforcement
initiatives as Operation JOBS and SouthPAW (Protecting
American Workers). Worksite enforcement is the third leg of
the Administration's enforcement strategy, and INS is
committed to showing both employers who knowingly violate the
law as well as illegal workers that we mean business and will
enforce the law. INS' efforts have focused on industries with
a history of hiring illegal workers. In the past year alone,
INS has targeted over 900 employers and apprehended 8,700
illegal workers, freeing up over $117 million in wages for
legal workers. Since 1993, INS has removed over 30,000 illegal
workers from their jobs.
Encouraging Naturalization and Citizenship: In 1995, in response to an
unprecedented increase in citizenship applications, the Administration
launched a major naturalization initiative--Citizenship USA. The
initiative, targeted in five key cities where over 75 percent of
naturalization applications came in and where a naturalization backlog
was building, led to streamlined citizenship procedures and reduced
applicant processing times. In 1996, over 1.2 million naturalization
applicants became U.S. citizens--the highest ever. The average
application process, which in the past exceeded a year, is now six
months.