Yesterday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich testified before a special hearing of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.  His remarks are startling and alarming, and worth a read.  For those of you mindful of internet etiquette, I received these remarks all capitalized.  This does not mean that the Supervisor was shouting them at the Congressmen, but just the way it was formatted.  Read on and weep.

"IN DISCUSSING IMMIGRATION, ONE MUST FIRST DISTINGUISH BETWEEN LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. LEGAL IMMIGRATION STRENGTHENS OUR NATION.

HOWEVER, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS AN AFFRONT TO THOSE WHO LEGALLY IMMIGRATE. IT TEARS AT THE MORAL AND ECONOMIC FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY.

IT SHOULD NOT BE REWARDED.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY HAS A LARGER POPULATION THAN 42 STATES – 10.2 MILLION. HOWEVER, IT IS ALSO HOME TO ALMOST 12% OF THE COUNTRY’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT POPULATION – THE MOST OF ANY COUNTY IN THE NATION.

UNLIKE THE EAST COAST WHERE THE CITIES RUN MOST OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FELONY PROSECUTIONS AND ALL SOCIAL AND WELFARE SERVICES. OUR 88 CITIES ARE MORE SIMILAR TO NEW YORK CITY’S BURROUGHS.

AS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE SIMPSON-MAZZOLI LEGISLATION IN 1986, AMNESTY ONLY PROVIDED INCENTIVES FOR CONTINUED ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO OUR COUNTRY. WE MUST NOT REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST. WE NEED TO TIGHTEN THE BORDERS, INCREASE ENFORCEMENT, PROSECUTION, AND END INEFFECTIVE STRATEGIES INCLUDING THE "CATCH AND RELEASE" PROGRAM FOR DETAINED ILLEGALS.

THE FISCAL DRAIN ON THE TAXPAYERS BY THOSE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY IS CATASTROPHIC. IN PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES, ILLEGALS COST LOS ANGELES COUNTY TAXPAYERS NEARLY $1 BILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR. THIS DOES NOT EVEN INCLUDE THE COST FOR EDUCATION.

TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF INMATES IN OUR COUNTY JAIL SYSTEM ARE ILLEGALS.

THE COST TO OUR COUNTY’S JUSTICE SYSTEM IS $150 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR WHICH INCLUDES INCARCERATION, PROSECUTION, DEFENSE AND PROBATION.

OUR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM HAS BECOME THE HMO FOR THE WORLD.

WITHIN OUR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM, APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT ARE ILLEGALS WHO ARE BEING TREATED ANNUALLY AT A COST OF ROUGHLY $360 MILLION DOLLARS. THIS INCLUDES INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT SERVICES AS WELL AS MENTAL HEALTHCARE. OUR COUNTY’S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES ESTIMATES THAT NEARLY 26% OF THE AMBULATORY CARE VISITS WERE MADE BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WHERE CHILDREN OF ILLEGAL ALIENS BECOME LEGAL CITIZENS IF BORN HERE. AS A RESULT, EVERY CHILD BORN TO AN ILLEGAL ALIEN IS ENTITLED TO A VARIETY OF SOCIAL SERVICES, INCLUDING WELFARE, UNTIL THEY ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE. THIS COSTS LOS ANGELES COUNTY NEARLY $276 MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY IN CAL WORKS PAYMENTS (FORMERLY CALLED AID TO FAMILIES OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN). THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COSTS OF FOOD STAMPS AND CHILD CARE SERVICES.

NEARLY 100,000 CHILDREN OF 60,000 UNDOCUMENTED PARENTS RECEIVED AID IN JANUARY 2006 – FOR A TOTAL OF 160,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR U.S.

BORN CHILDREN RECEIVING GOVERNMENT AID. IF THEY WERE INCORPORATED INTO A CITY, IT WOULD BE THE 5TH LARGEST CITY IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

WE HAVE A MELTDOWN IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS OF ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY – NEARLY HALF OF ALL STUDENTS DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. JUST 44 PERCENT OF LOS ANGELES UNIFIED STUDENTS RECEIVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, MAKING THE 727,000-STUDENT DISTRICT’S GRADUATION RATE AMONG THE LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CAUSES AMERICAN CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO PAY MORE FOR JAILS, HOSPITALS AND CLASSROOMS.

WE HAVE MADE SOME REFORMS. ONE OF THE PROGRAMS I INITIATED WITH MY LONGTIME CHIEF OF STAFF, THE LATE DR. TOM SILVER, TOOK US ABOUT EIGHT YEARS TO GET ADOPTED. THE HIGH INTENSITY CRIMINAL ALIEN APPREHENSION AND PROSECUTION PROGRAM (HI-CAAP) IS A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS USING FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION.

ANOTHER PROGRAM WHICH TOOK US ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO IMPLEMENT, IS A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE SHERIFF OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY AND IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. THIS M.O.U. WAS ADOPTED BY THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN JANUARY OF 2005 AND ALLOWS TRAINED AND CERTIFIED SHERIFF’S PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY CRIMINAL ILLEGALS ALIENS IN THE JAIL THROUGH AN INTERVIEW PROCESS.

WITH THE HELP OF THESE SHERIFF’S PERSONNEL, FEWER CRIMINAL ILLEGALS ARE RELEASED BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES. IN FACT, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE OF OVER 40% IN THE NUMBER OF I.C.E. HOLDS OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME LAST YEAR. THIS PILOT PROGRAM NEEDS TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

WE ALSO NEED TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR MORE PROSECUTIONS BY THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THOSE WHO VIOLATE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS. THE UNITED STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IN LOS ANGELES HAS LOST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF OVER TWO DOZEN PROSECUTORS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE FULLY FUND AND FULLY STAFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICES.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALSO NEEDS TO FULLY FUND THE STATE CRIMINAL ALIEN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (S.C.A.A.P.) AND ALL OF THE OTHER UNFUNDED SERVICES PROVIDED TO ILLEGAL ALIENS TO RECOGNIZE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDICAL CENTERS ALONG THE MEXICAN SIDE OF THE AMERICAN/MEXICAN BORDER STATES. JUST AS WE HAVE COUNTY HOSPITALS TEACHING STUDENTS TO BECOME QUALIFIED PHYSICIANS AND NURSING PROFESSIONALS, THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES ON THE MEXICAN SIDE OF OUR BORDER STATES WOULD AFFORD MEXICAN MEDICAL STUDENTS SIMILAR OPPORTUNITIES. IT MAKES SENSE AND WOULD BE CHEAPER TO PROVIDE MEDICAL SERVICE THAN TO HAVE INCENTIVES FOR PEOPLE TO BREAK THE LAW. THAT’S A GOOD INVESTMENT IN FOREIGN AID.

A BONDED GUEST WORKER PROGRAM WOULD ALLOW AN IMMIGRANT TO WORK HERE TEMPORARILY WHILE BONDED FOR ANY MEDICAL CARE THEY MAY NEED WHILE IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS GUEST WORKER PROGRAM WOULD PERMIT FOREIGN WORKERS TO REGISTER IN THEIR COUNTRY FOR TEMPORARY JOBS IN THE UNITED STATES.

THIS PROVIDES THE WORKER LEGITIMACY, SECURITY AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN AMERICA WHILE SPARING TAXPAYERS THE BURDEN OF FINANCING THEIR HEALTH CARE AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES.

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER INITIATED SUCH A PROGRAM. IT PERMITTED UP TO 400,000 MEXICANS A YEAR TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES FOR VARIOUS AGRICULTURE JOBS THAT LASTED FROM 12 TO 52 WEEKS.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRAINED RESERVE COMPONENT – SIMILAR TO RESERVE UNITS UTILIZED BY THOUSANDS OF POLICE AND SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE NATION – IS A PROVEN COST-EFFECTIVE PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BORDER PATROL OFFICERS.

ESTABLISHING AN EMPLOYER HOTLINE TO QUICKLY VERIFY THE LEGITIMACY OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCEMENT.

ALONG WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE UNITED STATED NEEDS TO ENCOURAGE MEXICO TO PRIVATIZE THEIR STATE-RUN OIL COMPANY. JUST AS ENGLAND, CHINA, THE EASTERN EUROPEAN NATIONS AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAVE ECONOMICALLY BENEFITED THROUGH THE SELLING OF THEIR STATE AND A MARKET-BASED ECONOMY. THIS ACTION WILL ENABLE MEXICO TO IMPROVE THEIR ECONOMY AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR CITIZENS. IT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE THE UNITED STATES WITH A STABLE SOURCE OF OIL AND REDUCE OUR COUNTRY’S RELIANCE ON OIL FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.

WORKING WITH MEXICO TO GROW ECONOMICALLY THROUGH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND A MARKET-BASED ECONOMY WILL ENABLE MEXICO TO DEVELOP A STABLE ECONOMY AND REDUCE THE EXODUS OF MEXICANS IMMIGRATING TO AMERICA FOR JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY."

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 3rd, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.