(Texas Scorecard) – As Texas faces the brunt of the invasion at the Southern border under the Biden administration, State Rep. Steve Toth is seeking answers on the cost that jailing them is having on taxpayers.
In a recent letter to Democrat State Rep. Abel Herrero, the Chair of the Texas House Corrections Committee, Toth, a Republican, raised significant concerns about the financial and social burdens placed on Texas taxpayers due to the housing of illegal aliens in state and county facilities.
“The continued burden on Texas to pay for services rendered for illegal aliens housed in Texas Prisons and County Jails continues to increase with no end in sight. The Texas prison system is for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminals. Instead, our prison systems have become a sanctuary–providing housing, food, psychiatric and medical care for illegal immigrants,” wrote Toth.
He argues that this shift in focus not only strains the budget but also diverts resources from their intended purposes.
To address these concerns, Toth posed several questions to Herrero, demanding a detailed accounting and investigation:
- What is the number of illegal aliens housed in State and County facilities?
- What is the total cost of housing, feeding and medical care for these illegal aliens?
- How many guards have been assaulted by illegal aliens over the past 10 years?
- How many different countries are these illegal aliens from?
- How many of these illegal aliens are on the terrorist watch list?
- How many are from countries that have had illegal aliens on the terrorist watch list?
- Are any of these illegal aliens from nations on the Terrorist Watch List in with the general population?
“I am concerned that we are currently not asking the right questions. In addition to the enormous impact on the Texas budget, we also have to acknowledge the role it plays in retaining guards in Texas jails and prisons. As a member of the Texas Corrections Committee, I am asking for a formal investigation in pursuit of these questions. This should be a relatively easy task as all of this information should be readily available,” he added.
The letter comes after State Reps. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) and Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) similarly called on Democrat Chair of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Joe Moody to hold hearings on border security and potential child abuse and fraud at Texas Children’s Hospital, as well as President Joe Biden’s lawfare against whistleblowers.
Both Herrero and Moody are among the Democrat chairmen appointed by House Speaker Dade Phelan. A majority of Republican lawmakers say they want to see an end to the practice of placing Democrats in charge of committees, but Phelan says he will not waver from the practice.