Brewer Continues Real Action to Battle Illegal Immigration

Brewer Continues Real Action to Battle Illegal Immigration

Takes the Feds to task on SCAAP funding and sets the record straight with Dean Martin on sending illegal prisoners to ICE overnor

PHOENIX –– Governor Brewer took President Obama to task today for dramatically under funding the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) in his proposed budget.

In fact, Obama’s $330 million Budget for the SCAAP funding for all 50 states and local jurisdictions isn’t even enough to cover the federal obligations in Arizona which stand at over $700 million.

Obama continues to under fund the federal government obligations on illegal immigration, despite Governor Brewer personally expressing the needs to the President regarding SCAAP funding when he visited Arizona on May 13 last year.

This action is the latest in Governor Brewer’s substantive efforts to make the federal government cover their obligations. The Governor has ordered the transfer, to the federal government, of non-violent criminal illegal aliens who have 90 days left on their terms. This move is saving Arizona hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“The Governor has the courage to take meaningful action to fight illegal immigration and force the federal government to pay for their obligations. She isn’t presenting them with cardboard checks or unpaid invoices,” said Campaign Co-Chair Grant Woods.

State Treasurer and potential candidate for governor, Dean Martin, has been busy mischaracterizing these actions and ignoring their impact on the state budget deficit.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Martin has characterized this action as simply releasing illegal aliens out of jail early, which is false.

Martin said in a recent LD 21 Republican meeting on February 10th saying:

“I don’t know if you’ve heard but the Governor is releasing illegals early. If you commit burglary and you are legal citizen, you serve your full term. If you are here illegally, you get out 90 days early. I have a better idea of what to do with those last 90 days. Lets take a page out of the chain gangs, lets take them down to the border and have them finish the wall.”

“Not only is Mr. Martin not telling the truth about what Governor Brewer is doing, his chain gang alternative would actually cost the state tens of thousands of dollars,” concluded Woods.

“Border security and the incarceration of alien criminals is a federal responsibility that should not be born on the back of the Arizona General Fund. It would be nice if Mr. Martin would either be honest, or come up with an idea more like Governor Brewer’s, one that would actually save the state money instead of costing us more.”