H-1493.1  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4021

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Representatives Elliot, Cairnes, Sheahan, Thompson, Pelesky, Fuhrman, Radcliff, Brumsickle, Dickerson, Johnson, Quall, Smith, Sheldon, McMahan, Clements, Chandler, D. Schmidt, K. Schmidt, Hankins, Robertson, Reams, Crouse, Kremen, Mastin, Benton, Foreman, Honeyford, Basich, Mulliken, Carrell and Campbell

Read first time 02/10/95.  Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

Requesting that Congress negotiate with Mexico in order to deport Mexican national criminal offenders incarcerated in the United States.

    TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Effective fiscal management is manifestly one of the highest governmental priorities; and

    WHEREAS, The cost for incarceration of criminal offenders is an enormous economic hardship and burden upon the taxpayers of the United States; and

    WHEREAS, Foreign national criminal offenders are a substantial and increasing percentage of our state and federal prison population; and

    WHEREAS, A high percentage of foreign national criminal offenders are of Mexican nationality and have entered or remained in the United States unlawfully and in violation of immigration laws; and

    WHEREAS, Incarceration of such foreign national criminal offenders creates a tremendous and incessant burden upon the state and federal budgets; and

    WHEREAS, The cost of incarceration of such foreign national criminal offenders should be borne by the country of nationality and not unfairly and unjustly shifted to the taxpayers of the United States; and

    WHEREAS, An economic exigency and fiscal crisis exists in the continued allocation to the United States taxpayers of the costs of incarceration of such foreign national criminal offenders;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress recognize the economic exigency and fiscal crisis that exists to the taxpayers of the United States for the incarceration of such foreign national criminal offenders, to wit, criminal offenders of Mexican nationality, which creates an unjust and unfair economic burden and hardship to the United States taxpayers, and undertake to negotiate with the government of Mexico to establish a mechanism for deporting Mexican foreign national criminal offenders, while maintaining sentencing and punishment parity for their crimes against the peace and dignity of the citizens of the United States, or establish an agreement of remuneration for the costs associated with incarceration of Mexican foreign national criminal offenders, as to alleviate the unfair and unjust burden upon the taxpayers of the United States.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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