Obama Budget Cuts Funding for Detainment of Illegal Immigrants

President Obama’s proposed budget is a monstrosity of spending, but in several targeted areas, Obama proposes cuts. One of those cuts comes in funding for detaining illegal immigrants.

The new budget provides $39 billion for “discretionary funding” for the Department of Homeland Security, a cut of $615 million below the 2012 funding levels. The budget document identifies cuts in detainment thusly:

To ensure the most cost-effective use of Federal dollars, the Budget aligns ICE capabilities to place priority and mandatory detainees in detention, while allowing low-risk, non-mandatory detainees to enroll in lower cost parole-like alternatives to detention programs, which may include electronic monitoring and supervision.

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