Schwarzenegger said California could save about $1 billion a year if it built prisons in Mexico and then shipped those serving in state prisons who are undocumented felons to Mexico to finish out their sentences. Nearly 20,000 of the state’s 171,000 prisoners are illegal immigrants.

 

Matthew Cate, secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, was apparently unaware of the governor’s plan when asked about it by the media. Cate said the idea of shipping inmates south of the border was not something the department was considering at this time.

 

Even the governor’s own press secretary, Aaron McLear, backed away from the idea, saying Schwarzenegger’s comments were merely “a concept somebody mentioned to him.” McLear also said he did not know where his boss came up with the $1 billion in savings.

 

Assemblyman Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who’s running for attorney general, told the Sacramento Bee that Schwarzenegger was “living in Alice in Wonderland” if he was serious about sending illegal immigrants to Mexican prisons. “First off, this has no impact on our budget crisis because it takes an awfully long time to build a prison,” Lieu said. “Second, if a criminal does a crime in California, he should do the time here. Otherwise it’s a form of early release.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Governor Looks South of the Border for Prisons (by Wyatt Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle)

Schwarzenegger Asks: Why Not Build Prisons in Mexico? (by Kevin Yamamura, Sacramento Bee)

Federal Court Orders California to Clear Out 40,000 Prisoners (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)