Illegal aliens and felons

As the ashes smolder in the aftermath of the conflagration that consumed Congress' failed effort at immigration reform, many Americans await Washington's next move.

Let's hope it includes a proposal put forth by Rep. David Price, D-N.C.

Rep. Price 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 -- school and prisons, for example -- apparently 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. Federal officials have been somewhat effective in identifying and deporting incarcerated illegals -- about 88,000 were sent home in 2006 -- but the effort hasn't made much of a dent in state and local jails, where the majority of convicted criminals reside.

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?