Western Governors: Border Communities Burdened with Illegal Immigration Enforcement Should be Reimbursed (4/3/06
Western Governors: Border Communities Burdened withIllegal Immigration Enforcement Should be Reimbursed Comprehensive Reform Supported as Senate Continues Debate FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kevin Moran (202) 624-5402 or Paul Orbuch (303) 623-9378 DENVER -- The federal government's failure to adequately secure the border with Mexico has forced border communities to do the work for them at an enormous cost, and Western Governors said today comprehensive illegal immigration legislation must provide reimbursement for those costs. Govs. Janet Napolitano (Ariz.), Chair of the Western Governors' Association, and Jon Huntsman, Jr. (Utah), co-lead for comprehensive immigration reform with Napolitano, urged the Senate to adopt an amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) to the reform bill it is debating. It would establish a grant program administered through the Department of Homeland Security to assist local law enforcement agencies in communities of less than 50,000 people and within 100 miles of the U.S. borders of Mexico and Canada. Our colleagues in the Western Governors' Association are seeking comprehensive reform of illegal immigration laws, and that includes support to smaller communities along the border saddled with law enforcement costs related to human smuggling, drug trafficking and car thefts, Napolitano said. Just having to incarcerate unauthorized immigrants in local correctional facilities is a large expense in and of itself. Huntsman noted that a study by the Border Counties Coalition found the criminal justice expenses related to illegal immigration exceeds $89 million annually. While the overall debate in the Senate has been contentious, there should be no debate that border communities are severely burdened by these costs and they should be reimbursed, Huntsman said. The governors also sent a letter today to members of the Senate and House summarizing key provisions of a resolution they adopted unanimously in February. They include: A copy of the governors' resolution and related information can be found on WGA's Web site at www.westgov.org. The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management. # # # # #
April 3, 2006
Border Security and Enforcement - Substantially increase the number of border patrol personnel and enhance border security and surveillance through technological innovations. Authorize completion of a comprehensive database that will interface with state, national and international criminal and terrorist databases, and includes state-of-the-art privacy safeguards. Authorize construction of Western regional federal correctional facilities to house criminal aliens who have been apprehended and convicted in state criminal justice systems should be authorized. To the maximum extent possible, families that are detained should be kept together and kept separate from the general population in detention facilities.
Reimbursement of Costs Incurred by States - In addition to localities, states have incurred enormous costs as a result of the failure to control illegal entries along our international borders. The Department of Homeland Security should either assume responsibility for detained individuals or compensate states for these costs.
Labor Pool and Visa Reform - The governors support efforts to more than double the number of employment-based visas, and particularly efforts to increase them for the high-tech and bio-tech industries as well as for seasonal hospitality and agricultural workers.
Enactment of a Guest Worker Program is Essential - A national temporary guest worker program should be established to supplement areas where there are documented shortages of U.S. workers. The governors support efforts to include a temporary guest worker program in the bill. They agree the sanctions that have been under discussion for undocumented individuals already residing in the U.S. such as fines, payment of back taxes, background checks, and demonstrating proficiency in learning English are appropriate and necessary. They oppose granting blanket amnesty to these individuals.