Democratic Majority Rejects GOP Motion to Fully Fund SCAAP, DOJ Immigration Enforcement

July 26, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas, CA), Rules Committee Ranking Republican, today helped offer a GOP motion that would fully fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) at $950 million and provide additional funds to the Department of Justice’s immigration law enforcement programs, including investigative, prosecutorial, and incarceration programs. The motion, which was offered before final passage of the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and related agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008, H.R. 3093, failed by a vote of 209 - 215.

“This bill is yet another example of the Democrats’ propensity for overspending and poor prioritizing,” Dreier said. “The fact that they did not adequately fund the Department of Justice’s immigration enforcement programs or SCAAP demonstrates they do not hold immigration enforcement as a top priority. The costs of incarcerating criminal illegal immigrants are especially felt in states like California. As long as the federal government cannot control the border, it needs to provide states like California with the resources necessary to cover those costs. I’m disappointed my Democratic colleagues chose not to provide these critical funds.”

In his remarks on the motion, Dreier noted that the total cost of incarceration for the State of California’s prison system, alone, exceeds $800 million annually. Less than $92 million of this cost was reimbursed by the federal government for Fiscal Year 2006, or less than 12 cents on the dollar. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department estimates that annually, the County’s cost of jailing undocumented criminal aliens is $150 million. This far exceeds the most recent SCAAP payment to the County of $10.5 million for FY ‘06, or a return of less than 10 cents on the dollar.

Dreier said that even though an amendment increasing the SCAAP funding in H.R. 3093 was approved earlier, it was still insufficient. He said that he would continue to push for more funding for the SCAAP program and immigration enforcement programs.