[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 76 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR COMPENSATION TO STATES INCARCERATING UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1512, 
legislation to compensate the States for incarcerating undocumented 
criminal aliens.
  The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, commonly referred to as 
SCAAP, is a very effective federal-local government partnership that 
deserves robust funding from the Bush Administration.
  Currently, SCAAP funding is about $175 million less than what it was 
in fiscal year 1998, and falls far short of meeting the actual costs 
incurred by local jurisdictions. In my home state of California, we 
received about $110 million for this program in 2007. However, the 
California Department of Corrections actually spent more than $912.5 
million of its own money to arrest and hold these criminal aliens. Like 
many other states, California is cutting funding in education and other 
programs in an effort to balance its budget; by underfunding SCAAP, the 
Bush Administration is forcing California to spend upwards of $800 
million of its own money, foisting a federal responsibility on our 
local governments.
  H.R. 1512 restores the original partnership and allows our local law 
enforcement officials to focus on protecting our communities. If we are 
truly serious about removing these dangerous criminal aliens from our 
country, we must make sure that we provide state and local law 
enforcement officers with all the tools they need to succeed.