Reps. Ted Deutch, Bill Foster Condemn Inclusion of Detention Quota in Appropriations Bill

Press Release

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21) and Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) released this statement in response to the House Appropriation Committee's inclusion of the detention bed mandate in its FY2015 Department of Homeland Security appropriations proposal:

"We are deeply disappointed that the House Appropriations Committee has once again inserted a quota into the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that dictates how many immigrants should be held in detention on a daily basis. The detention bed mandate wastes taxpayer dollars by forcing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to forgo alternatives to detention that are less costly, equally as effective, and far more humane.

"No other law enforcement agency is forced to operate under a quota imposed by Congress for the number of people it must keep in jail each day. The decision to detain someone to the tune of $160 a day or to use a far less expensive option, like ankle bracelets or supervised release, should belong to the officials working for ICE, not some committee in Washington.

"Government watchdogs, immigration experts, and communities across the country have called on Congress to end the immigrant detention quota because it is fiscally irresponsible and morally indefensible. Despite this latest setback we remain committed to using every legislative avenue possible to end the detention bed mandate."

About the Detention Bed Mandate

Immigrant detention costs the United States $2 billion a year, which equates to $5.4 million a day at a rate of $159 per detainee, despite the fact that proven alternatives, like ankle bracelets and supervised release, cost taxpayers between 17 cents and $17 a day. The vast majority of undocumented immigrants are held in for-profit detention facilities.

The purpose of detention is merely to ensure immigrants facing civil charges related to their status show up for their immigration court proceedings. It is not used to jail immigrants who commit criminal offenses, whose prosecution is carried out through the criminal justice system.

According to the Congressional Research Service, since the detention bed quota was inserted into Department of Homeland Security appropriations language in 2004, the number of beds for holding undocumented immigrants has grown by 84 percent.

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