A question of who picks up the tab...

Kim DuToit has an interesting story today:

Billing The Fed
You know, it�s hard for me not to sympathize with this position:

An Ohio sheriff has billed the Department of Homeland Security $125,000 for the cost of jailing illegal aliens arrested on criminal charges in his county, saying he�s angry that the federal government has failed in its responsibility to keep them out of the United States.[snip]

He said 900 foreign-born inmates have been booked into the crowded Butler County jail in the past year. �Why should Butler County taxpayers have to pay for jail costs associated with people we don�t believe should ever have been in this country, let alone this state or county, to begin with?� Sheriff Jones said. �They are in my jail because they have committed crimes here.

�It�s time the federal government should at least pay for the criminals they let stay here,� he said. �If they don�t want to pay for them, then they can deport them.�

The response from ICE (aka. INS) has been errrr underwhelming.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Dean Boyd said the agency �repeatedly reached out to the Butler County Sheriff�s Department� and, on multiple occasions, offered ICE enforcement resources to the sheriff in addressing the il legal alien population in Butler County.

�As part of these efforts, ICE agents have interviewed the foreign nationals in the sheriff�s custody awaiting trial on state or local charges,� he said. �ICE has placed immigration detainers on all of the individuals who are illegal aliens subject to removal from the country."

Yeah, that�s all very well, but serving these criminals with papers isn�t quite what�s needed. To use that ghastly quote: �Show us the money.�

Or start making a serious effort to keep illegals out.

Very good ideal -- part of Homeland Securities charter is to strengthen the border. They should be doing their job but they seem to be doing the big lie, emphasizing what they are failing at. From today's web page comes this "announcement" dated January 17th:

Homeland Security and State Departments Announce Initiative to Keep Borders Secure and Open
January 17, 2006 - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice announced plans to strengthen security at U.S. borders while "keeping the welcome mat out for those who want to come from overseas" at an event held at the Department of State. The joint agenda for securing borders and opening doors to those who lawfully cross our borders to work, learn, and visit includes the increased use of modern technology to establish a comprehensive enrollment network for registered, trusted travelers to the United States.

They have enough problems with the Canadian border -- we live a few miles away and people are running over several times/month. The Mexican border is even more porous.