Feds try to stiff Arizona; Arizona sends Feds bill

From 2/8's "Budget sticks county with migrant costs: President Bush proposes cutting all federal reimbursement for detaining illegal immigrants":

Pima County taxpayers would have to shoulder all the local costs to detain illegal immigrants under President Bush's proposed budget.

The budget, released yesterday, kills the $305 million program that helps states and counties offset the costs of keeping illegal immigrants behind bars.

Last year, Pima County received just under $750,000 from the program.

The cut adds "insult to injury, the injury being we don't get reimbursed nearly at cost," said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry...

From that same day's "Arizona governor demands reimbursement for immigrant criminals":

PHOENIX ? Gov. Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she has billed the federal government for nearly $118 million in unreimbursed costs for imprisoning illegal immigrants who committed crimes in Arizona.

If the federal government doesn't pay, it should take custody of some 3,600 immigrant criminals now in state prisons, Napolitano said in a letter sent last week to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Napolitano released the letter - and copies of two invoices sent with it - one day after President Bush proposed eliminating funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. The program is supposed to reimburse state and local jurisdictions for costs involved in incarcerating immigrants convicted of a crime.

Justice Department spokesman Eric Holland had no immediate comment on Napolitano's demand...

Comments

Ha! Napolitano. Da Guv came from my former law firm (she was a partner), of which firm now currently has a partner by the name of Jose Cardenas (you know him), of which firm also represented a No on 200 coalition of reconquistadors just weeks before the election. Also, they do work directly for the DNC as a party apparatus. They even have their own internal PAC. I'm so glad that I am no longer lining the enemies' pockets, those fuckers.

If anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me.