Idaho Counties Receive Funds To Defend Against Immigration Violations

Washington, DC â?? Idaho Senator Mike Crapo says Idaho counties will receive more than $600,000 in new federal money to assist county sheriffs in a program to recoup incarceration expenses associated with prisoners charged with immigration violations. The Idaho funding is part of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which provides federal payments to states and localities that incurred correctional officer salary costs for incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens for at least four consecutive days. Crapo co-sponsored the bill which passed the Senate.â??Congress has appropriated new money to tighten both the northern and southern U.S. borders,â?? Crapo said. â??In the past, local communities have too often borne the brunt of enforcing immigration issues. While SCAAP is certainly not a fix-all, it is a start to an equitable resolution to a pressing problem. And it can certainly provide a resource for Idahoâ??s counties that face additional legal costs due to such enforcement."Crapo sent letters last year to 44 county sheriffs in Idaho, encouraging each to learn more about the program and determine if their counties would be eligible. The total allocation for Idaho is $607,237. A list of the counties receiving funding for this year include:Ada, $92,502Bannock, $8,830Bingham, $8,076Blaine, $17,612Bonneville, $16,719Canyon, $112,759Cassia, $25,601Elmore, $9,273Jefferson, $6,191Gooding, $7,369Madison, $20,508Owyhee, $1,987Power, $2,873Teton, $1,582Twin Falls, $7,103Washington, $9,794Idaho Department of Correction, $258,458The application process occurs entirely over the Internet through the Office of Justice Programâ??s website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/scaap.html. The U.S. Department of Justice provides the funding. During Fiscal Year 2003, Idaho received $604,530 from the SCAAP program. Idaho law enforcement personnel requested reimbursement for nearly 1400 qualified incarcerations that year.