County to Get Funds to Help Pay for Jailing of Illegal Immigrants

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will receive $870,000 in federal funds to help pay for incarcerating illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes.

The money will reimburse the county for housing illegal immigrants at the county jail and at juvenile hall during the 1997-98 fiscal year.

This is the third time that the county has received money from the Department of Justice under its State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. The Sheriff’s Department received $630,000 last fiscal year, and $560,000 the previous fiscal year. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) said the money does not cover the total cost for housing illegal immigrants in the county jail. He estimated that the county spends more than $2 million for such incarcerations.

“It’s too bad we don’t have a stronger will from the administration to deport these illegal immigrants rather than allowing them to continue committing crimes,” Gallegly said. “It’s the federal government’s responsibility to pay for the people who are illegally in this country.”

The congressman said the government should not only pay to lock up illegal immigrants, but should also cover any legal costs the county incurs in prosecuting--and defending--them.

Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks agreed. He said the money will help relieve some of the cost, but he would like more federal support. Because of the specific guidelines of the program, the county is not reimbursed for all illegal immigrants, Brooks added.

The money can only be used to target inmates who have a prior criminal record, have been in jail for at least 72 hours, have been convicted of the crime they were charged with and have been previously notified about their immigration status.

Under a screening program proposed by Gallegly and signed into law by President Clinton in late 1997, the Immigration and Naturalization Service identifies illegal immigrants in jail. Of the inmates who have been screened in Ventura County under this program, Gallegly said two-thirds of them are in the country illegally.

Gallegly said he would prefer the administration to allow the INS to do a better job of policing U.S. borders. But until then, he said, he wants Washington to foot the entire bill for dealing with illegal immigrants who commit crimes.

Ventura is one of 30 counties in the state receiving the federal funds, which total $244 million for California. The state Department of Finance estimates that California will pay $471 million to incarcerate illegal immigrants in the coming year.