By AMANDA MARTINEZ
“California’s day of reckoning is here,” said Governor Schwarzenegger earlier this week while urging the legislature to back his proposed cuts to the three largest areas of the state’s budget: prisons, education, and health care.
As part of the plan to fix the $24 billion dollar deficit the governor has proposed the release of thousands of immigrant prisoners to Federal custody.
“They would be handed over to the Immigrations and Customs Enforcements Agency (ICE) on a case by case review,” said Seth Unger of the California Department of Corrections who said the goal is to commute the sentences of those already eligible for deportation.
The 19,000 prisoners who are undocumented felons make up about 11 percent of the total prison population, and include 15,000 Mexican citizens.
Jessica Lopez of the Mexican Consulate of San Francisco said they aware of the proposal and are watching its progress. “Right now the consulate’s Department of Protections main concern is make sure that Mexican prisoners are being treated with the same rights as other prisoners,” Lopez said.
While addressing a timeline for passing the budget Schwarzenegger told legislators, “We have no time to waste.” He later added that spending on prisons has nearly doubled in the past five years, but suggested cuts of only 6.5 percent.
While general fund spending for the state has grown by 381.7 percent since 1980, spending on corrections and rehabilitation has jumped by 1,491 percent, according to the California Budget Project, a non-partisan research group based in Sacramento.
As of 2006, the prison population in California had increased by 73 percent since 1990, according to Public Policy Institute of California.
Schwarzenegger said the early release of the prisoners could save the save $180 million in the next fiscal year that starts July 1. He has been struggling to balance the budget since May when voters rejected ballot measures he hoped would relieve the state’s deficit.
More recently State Controller John Chiang warned Schwarzenegger and the legislator that the state is likely to run out of money by the end of July.
Paul Golaszewski of the Legislative Analyst’s Office said this year the cost to house immigrant prisoners added up to $960 million. A federal reimbursement program for undocumented inmates cut $110 million from the nearly billion dollar cost.
There is no estimate of how many immigrant prisoners would be released, but a review of immigrant felons could start as early as July 1 when the budget is expected to be passed, said Golaszewski.
The governor, however, can send undocumented prisoners with first time felony convictions back to their home country without consulting the lesgislature..
Also included in the proposed budget cuts is the redistribution of non-violent, non-sex offenders into local jails from state prisons.
San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Chief of Staff, Eileen Hirst said it is premature to comment about housing state prisoners in local jails but said the five San Francisco jails are currently at 78 percent capacity. She noted that jails are safest when they are at no more than 85 to 90 percent of capacity.
I’m a little confused by this article and the word “immigrant” being interchanged with illegal immigrant. There is a difference! There’s already a federal law that states if a LEGAL immigrant in this country commits a crime, after they serve prison time for their offense they get deported back to the country of their birth. There’s a really good documentary about this – how the children of Cambodian Khmer Rouge war refugees were given refugee status here, but never completed the paperwork to become actual US citizens, and they are being shipped out as soon as their sentence is served. These kids come with their parents to America, go to our schools, speak good English, etc., but because their parents didn’t know about the difference of being a LEGAL immigrant and actually applying for citizenship, their kids (if given any type of prison sentence for crimes committed here) are sent away from their families to countries they really know nothing about. You can view the excellent documentary, called Sentenced Home, through this link:
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/sentenced_home/
So… is this article strictly related to ILLEGAL immigrants, or does it also encompass LEGAL immigrants as well? Because as I stated, LEGAL immigrants already face deportation.
joe—-you neeed to look at the recent change in parole. those that are released from california state prison to ICE no longer have parole attached to them. so if they cross back over it will be a federal crime and is punishable up to 10 yrs in federal prison. not to mention the feds have agreed to “beef up” the borders because they will be held responsable for those that cross back over.
Schwarzenegger proposal is a sham. There are 25,000 deportable illegal aliens in California’s prison system. There is no way on earth that 80% of any demographic is made up of non-violent, non-serious offenders. Upon deportation, these individuals will not be on parole, so local law enforcement will not be able to hold them for any reason, unless they’re caught committing a new crime. Currently, illegal aliens are deported and, as a condition of parole, they are not allowed back into the US. If they’re caught, they go back to prison for a year, and are deported yet again. Under his proposal, they’ll beat the deportation bus back to Los Angeles.
Why in Gods name are we paying to keep illegal immigrants in jail? I believe the Republicans suggested cutting 300 million from the budget for the same thing the other day and the Democrats said no. I’m pretty sure Obama was with the Republicans on this one. Obama better get his people in line before the public starts protesting.
DEPORTATING!? Hahaha, learn to speak English!
Linda: Thanks for the quick catch on the type-o! Best, Lydia Chavez, ME