$492 Million Paid for Jailing of Migrants

The Justice Department has awarded $492 million to state and local governments to help pay for incarcerating illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

California, which estimates that it spends nearly half a billion dollars annually to keep criminal immigrants behind bars, will get the biggest share: $223 million.

New York, whose criminal immigrant incarceration costs are estimated at $180 million, was awarded $94 million, while Texas secured $39 million to help defray its $98-million annual tab.

“In the past three years, the Justice Department has awarded over $1.1 billion to states and localities to pay for housing criminal aliens,” Atty. Gen. Janet Reno said Thursday. “We have also made substantial progress in helping state and local jurisdictions reduce the number of illegal aliens housed in these facilities by expediting deportation hearings and removals.”

The Immigration and Naturalization Service announced that its criminal removals are up 12% for the first six months of the fiscal year.

From October through March, immigration agents removed 26,957 criminal immigrants, nearly half of whom had convictions for drug-related offenses. Total removals, spanning criminal and other illegal immigrants, totaled 78,291 for the six months, up 78% from the same period a year ago.

States and localities can apply for the federal funds, which are granted based on the number of criminal immigrants housed and the cost of incarceration. In addition to states, 200 localities are receiving the grants.

Among localities, New York City and Los Angeles County are the top recipients, with $29 million and $22 million, respectively.