Weekly Editorial Recap

ILLEGAL ALIENS AND FELONS

Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairs a panel that oversees Homeland Security funding. He’s aghast — as all Americans should be — that a great many illegal aliens who commit serious crimes in the United States are never deported after they serve their criminal sentences. In fact, fewer than half of all foreigners convicted of crimes in the United States are sent home after being released from jail, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The reason: Nobody bothers to investigate their status — or to inform the proper authorities about their incarceration.

That’s perfectly consistent with an ongoing Review-Journal series on illegal immigration which found that many government operations … have little interest in determining how many illegal immigrants they have in their midst.

Rep. Price is sponsoring a measure to increase spending by 31 percent — to $180 million — on programs in place to identify and deport illegal immigrants serving time for serious offenses. …

Rep. Price’s proposal has already passed the House and awaits debate in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada should make this a top priority. If Congress isn’t interested in taking the steps necessary to rid the country of felons who are also illegal aliens, how are Americans ever supposed to believe that their politicians are serious about stopping the influx of illegals streaming across our borders?