S.Amdt. 3365

SA 3365. Mrs. BOXER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 3192 submitted by Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Leahy, and
Mr. Hagel) to the bill S. 2454, to amend the Immigration and
Nationality Act to provide for comprehensive reform and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING REIMBURSING STATES
FOR THE COSTS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.

(a) Findings.--The Senate finds the following:
(1) It is the obligation of the Federal Government to
adequately secure the borders of the United States and
prevent the flow of undocumented immigrants into the United
States.
(2) Despite the fact that, according to the Congressional
Research Service, Border Patrol agents apprehend more than
1,000,000 individuals each year trying to illegally enter the
United States, the net growth in the number of unauthorized
immigrants entering the United States has increased by
approximately 500,000 each year.
(3) The costs associated with incarcerating undocumented
criminal immigrants and providing education and healthcare to
undocumented immigrants place a tremendous financial burden
on States and local governments.
(4) In 2003, States received compensation from the Federal
Government, through the State criminal alien assistance
program under section 241(i) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1231(i)), for incarcerating
approximately 74,000 undocumented criminal immigrants.
(5) In 2003, 700 local governments received compensation
from the Federal Government, through the State criminal alien
assistance program, for incarcerating approximately 138,000
undocumented criminal immigrants.
(6) It is estimated that Federal Government payments
through the State criminal alien assistance program reimburse
States and local governments for 25 percent or less of the
actual costs of incarcerating the undocumented criminal
immigrants.
(7) It is estimated that providing kindergarten through
grade 12 education to undocumented immigrants costs States
more than $8,000,000,000 annually.
(8) It is further estimated that more than $1,000,000,000
is spent on healthcare for undocumented immigrants each year.
(b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate
that--
(1) States should be fully reimbursed by the Federal
Government for the costs associated with providing education
and healthcare to undocumented immigrants; and
(2) the program authorized under section 241(i) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1231(i)) should be
fully funded, for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2012,
at the levels authorized for such program under section
241(i)(5) of such Act (as amended by section 218(b)(2) of
this Act).
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