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From the NewsMax.com Staff
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Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 9:40 p.m. EST
Ariz. Wants Prison for Illegals ... In Mexico
PHOENIX – A bill that would have the state seek proposals to build a private prison in Mexico to house illegal immigrants cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday.
Supporters say the bill, approved 4-2 by a House committee, could help reduce Arizona's heavy cost of imprisoning 3,600 to 4,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona prisons. Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano recently billed the federal government nearly $118 million in unreimbursed costs for imprisoning illegal immigrants.
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"This is a creative idea and worthy of exploration," said Republican Rep. Bill Konopnicki, who voted for the bill.
Opponents questioned whether the state has the legal authority to move prisoners to Mexico. GOP Rep. John McCommish questioned whether the state could fulfill its responsibility to oversee a prison if it was located in anther country.
More than any other state, Arizona has been dogged by a heavy flow of illegal immigrants since the government tightened enforcement in Texas and California during the mid-1990s.
The Mexico prison idea has been proposed before, most recently in 2003, but has yet to make it out of the Legislature.
© 2005 The Associated Press
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