miamiherald.com
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida officials want to send a message to immigrants who are not U.S. citizens and are doing prison time for nonviolent crimes: Go home. The airfare's on us.
The Florida Department of Corrections and Sen. Mike Bennett, a Bradenton Republican, are discussing the proposal with federal officials as a way to relieve the pressures of immigration and to help curb the explosive growth of Florida's prison population, which could hit 100,000 by year's end.
The go-home offer would extend only to the estimated 2,500 immigrants -- whether here legally or illegally -- who are not violent, are not U.S. citizens and who agree to return to and remain in their country of origin.
''It costs something like $20,000 a year to house an inmate, feed him and watch over him, or we can get rid of these guys for like a $600 plane ticket,'' Bennett said. ``Why would anyone oppose that?''
Posted by tyne at January 10, 2008