News



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1996                            (202) 616-2777
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

  JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS 13.7 PERCENT INCREASE IN FY 97 BUDGET
TO REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME, DRUGS, TERRORISM AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

             AG Reno: "We Must Build on our Results"

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Underscoring the President's commitment to
fighting violent crime even as he submits a plan to balance the
budget in seven years, the Justice Department today sought a boost
in resources to fight drugs, violent crime, terrorism, and illegal
immigration by releasing an FY 97 budget seeking $18.6 billion --
a 13.7 percent increase over 1996.  The increase is the second
largest of any cabinet agency.  Since President Clinton took
office, the Department's discretionary budget has increased more
than 76 percent -- the most of any cabinet agency.
     The new resources would help pay for:

     þ    an 11 percent increase in money to fight drugs --
          including an 18 percent boost in the Drug Enforcement
          Adminstration's enforcement resources to pay for 116 new
          agents and other initiatives,
     þ    19,000 more police officers on the street, for a total of
          nearly 68,000 funded since the 1994 Crime Act was passed,
     þ    $31.8 million to crack down on gangs and youth violence,
     þ    increased efforts to fight violence against women, stop
          illegal handgun sales, and improve forensic tests, 
     þ    more than 100 new FBI agents to fight terrorism, 
     þ    a 16 percent increase in the INS budget to a record $3
          billion, to support stepped-up Federal law enforcement
          activities along the Southwest border, increased removals
          of criminal aliens and enhanced sanctions against
          employers who hire illegal aliens, and
     þ    more money to imprison criminals and fight health care
          fraud and scams against seniors, and an 8.7 percent
          increase for the Department's general litigating
          divisions.

     "We are making progress in fighting drugs, violent crime, and
illegal immigration," said Attorney General Reno.  "Now we must
redouble our efforts and build on our results."

CURBING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ABUSE

     "An 11 percent increase in anti-drug enforcement will help us
to continue our strategy of disrupting and dismantling large-scale
drug trafficking organizations," said Reno.  "But we must also
intervene with drug courts and treatment programs that help break
the cycle of drugs and crime."

    Summary:  An 11 percent increase in funding for the fight
     against drugs, including growth in direct Federal, State and
     local assistance.  (A $704 million increase, from an estimated
     $6.437 billion in FY 1996 to $7.141 billion in FY 1997.)

     Much of the new money would boost DEA's law enforcement
     resources by 18 percent.  (A $156 million increase, from $853
     million in FY 1996 to $1.009 billion in FY 1997.

Highlights include:

    60 New Agents on the Street:  $5.9 million for 60 special
     agents to enhance DEA's Mobile Enforcement Teams (MET) Program
     to continue the comprehensive response to drug-related violent
     crime on our Nation's urban streets and rural neighborhoods.

    104 new Agents and 75 new U.S. Attorneys to Fight Southwest
     Border Drug Trafficking:  $43.8 million to fund new agents and
     investigate and prosecute major Mexican drug trafficking
     organizations operating along the Southwest border.  

    Opening a South African DEA Office:  $632,000 to combat heroin
     trafficking by opening a DEA country office with 2 new agents
     in Pretoria, South Africa.  A DEA presence in this major
     heroin transhipment area is a critical link in the effort to
     control Nigerian and other traffickers who increasingly use
     South Africa to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States.

    Improving DEA's Critical Infrastructure:  $70.81 million in
     DEA infrastructure enhancements including advanced computer
     automation equipment, domestic office communications
     equipment, replacement radios, new digital intercept
     technology for two field divisions, technical investigative
     equipment, aircraft, vehicles, ADP, agent relocation
     requirements, and funding to begin a three-year laboratory
     reconstruction effort.

    More Drug Courts and Treatment Grants:  $109 million in OJP
     funding to assist State and local governments in developing a
     comprehensive response to drug-related crime and drug use,
     including $100 million in continued funding for Drug Courts to
     assist State and local governments in developing and
     implementing programs for non-violent offenders with substance
     abuse problems, and $9 million in State Prison Drug Treatment
     grants for residential substance abuse programs.

Progress in Fighting Drug Abuse

     The FY 97 budget proposal builds on 1995's progress in
fighting illegal drugs:

    The flow of heroin from Southeast Asia was dramatically
     disrupted after the arrest of a high ranking member of the
     Shan United Army involved in heroin trafficking.

    With Justice Department leadership, bilateral investigations
     resulted in the dismantling of the Cali Mafia by the Colombian
     National Police.

    United States Attorneys filed 13.4 percent more drug cases in
     1995 over 1994, and charged 12.6 percent more defendants for
     drug-related crimes.


FIGHTING CRIME AND PUTTING COPS ON THE BEAT 

     "Violent crime is down nationwide, but we must do more," said
Reno.  "Congress must not scrap the COPS program, and we must have
more resources to fight accelerating youth crime."
    More Cops on the Beat: $1.976 billion for the Community
     Oriented Policing program (COPS) in FY97.  Of this amount,
     $1.950 billion will be used to hire approximately 19,000 more
     police officers, bringing the total number of cops funded to
     nearly 68,000 of 100,000 promised in the 1994 Crime Act.  The
     remaining $26 million will be used to fund the Police Corps,
     law enforcement scholarships and police recruitment programs.

    Fight Youth/Gang Violence:  $31.8 million to crackdown on
     youth violence and gangs, including an additional $28 million
     in Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Community-Based Juvenile
     Violence/State Court Assistance grants, $2.8 million for the
     FBI's Safe Street Task Forces, and $1 million to expand OJP's
     Comprehensive Gang Program.

    Combat Violence Against Women:  More than $21 million in
     increased OJP support to combat violence against women,
     bringing available State and local assistance under the 1994
     Violence Against Women Act to $189 million.

    Keeping Guns Out of the Wrong Hands: $45.2 million in
     increased resources to prevent the sale of guns to criminals,
     including $20.2 million to continue the FBI's implementation
     of the permanent National Instant Check System as required by
     the Brady Handgun Control Act, and $25 million in OJP grants
     to improve the ability of States to identify the criminal
     histories of felons and other persons ineligible to purchase
     firearms.

    Improving Identification of Suspects and DNA Testing:  $7
     million in additional OJP funding to enhance suspect
     identification technology, including $2 million in State
     grants to increase the capabilities of State and local
     forensic laboratories, and $5 million to implement a DNA
     technology program.

    Building More Prison Cells:  The request includes more than
     $250 million to accommodate our ever-growing inmate
     population, including construction of facilities for more than
     2,200 new prison and detention beds and activations of more
     than 6,900 beds.  This total includes $20 million for private
     sector management of more than 2,700 of the 6,900 beds.

    Restoring Needed Infrastructure:  $122.24 million in FBI,
     USMS, USA, and INS infrastructure improvements for
     interoperable radio communications, vehicles, security
     improvements, facility renovation, field support to complement
     the steady growth in enforcement agents, and information
     resource management.


FIGHTING TERRORISM

     "At home and abroad, the terrorist threat to Americans is as
tough as ever to meet," said Reno.  "We need new resources to keep
up, and make terrorists pay."
    Summary: $27.9 million dedicated to preventing and
     investigating acts of terrorism, including:

    Hiring 108 More FBI Agents:  An increase of $18.2 million and
     108 additional agents to enable the FBI to maintain its
     aggressive counterterrorism initiatives at home and abroad. 

    $9.7 million for the Attorney General's Counterterrorism Fund
     established in response to the Oklahoma City bombing.  The
     fund is used to reimburse Justice agencies for cost incurred
     in support of countering, investigating, or prosecuting
     domestic and/or international terrorism, and to finance reward
     payments.  In addition, the fund may be used to restore
     offices destroyed or damaged in the Oklahoma City bombing or
     other domestic or international acts of terrorism.


SOUTHWEST BORDER & IMMIGRATION

     "This budget provides a 16 percent increase for INS and
continues our commitment to a firm and equitable immigration policy
that enforces the rule of law at our borders and in the American
workplace," said Reno.  "That means more than a 100 percent
increase since we began in 1993 to reverse years of neglect at our
borders and implement President Clinton's comprehensive immigration
strategy."
    Summary:  The Department's INS request of $3 billion is a 16
     percent increase over FY 96, to support stepped-up Federal law
     enforcement and anti-drug activities along the Southwest
     border, increased removals of criminal aliens and sanctions
     against employers who hire aliens. Highlights of the $236
     million Southwest Border Initiative include efforts to:

    Strengthen Control of Our Nation's Borders:  $166 million to
     hire 700 additional Border Patrol agents, fund 126 previously
     authorized (but unfunded) agent positions, add 150 immigration
     inspectors, expand INS' interior repatriation program, and
     purchase critical agent equipment (border sensors, weapons,
     radios, infrared scopes, and helicopter replacement) for the
     Southwest border.  These agents will be targeted to build upon
     the success of INS' Operations Hold-The-Line, Safeguard and
     Gatekeeper.

    Fight Southwest Border Drug Trafficking:  $43.84 million will
     pay to hire 54 new DEA agents, 50 new FBI agents, and 75
     Assistant U.S. Attorneys to investigate and prosecute major
     Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating along the
     Southwest border.  (Also mentioned in the drug enforcement
     section.)

    Crack Down on Border Corruption:  Nearly $6 million in
     increased resources and agents for the DEA, FBI, United States
     Attorneys, United States Marshals, and the Office of the
     Inspector General's efforts to investigate and prosecute
     Mexican drug traffickers and corruption of public officials.


Other efforts to control illegal immigration and improve
adjudication and naturalization initiatives include $173.36 million
to:

    Increase Enforcement and Sanctions Against Employers Who Hire
     Illegal Aliens:  $30 million to expand INS' worksite
     enforcement presence in key States and localities, while also
     improving verification systems required to identify illegal
     aliens employed or receiving benefits.

    Expand Efforts to Remove Criminal Aliens:  $21.85 million to
     assist State and local governments in identifying and removing
     criminal aliens in both prisons and local jails, as well as
     providing background checks to determine the alien status of
     arrestees through INS' Law Enforcement Support Center.

    Increase Alien Detention and Deportation:  $13.42 million for
     INS to activate 700 new detention beds in Miami, FL, and El
     Paso, TX, and resources to expand INS' alien transportation
     system.

    Enhance State Criminal Alien Assistance:  $30 million for OJP
     to enhance the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
     (SCAAP), bringing the total amount available to $330 million. 
     This amount, combined with the $170 million in State
     Correctional Grants, provides $500 million to State and local
     governments for the incarceration of criminal aliens.

    Provide Increased Litigative Support for Immigration Cases: 
     $25.69 million to add 17 new attorneys to address the United
     States Attorneys immigration caseload, increase Executive
     Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) judges and support, and
     expand INS/EOIR's pilot Port Court program to provide on-site
     adjudication at ports of entry.

    Disrupt Overseas Alien Smuggling:  $5 million for joint
     INS/Department of State Operation Global Reach to identify,
     investigate and disrupt international alien smuggling
     operations.

    Fee-Funded Immigration Initiatives:  $47.4 million in fee-
      funded enhancements to improve immigration adjudication,
      naturalization, and inspections.


Progress in Fighting Illegal Immigration

The FY 97 budget proposal builds on 1995's progress in fighting
illegal immigration:

þ    In FY 1995, INS removed a record number of criminal and other
     deportable aliens from the United States (49,311).  

þ    In January, 1995, INS launched Operation Jobs, a concentrated
     enforcement effort that targets employers who routinely flaunt
     the law and hire illegal aliens -- removing 4,453 aliens and
     placing more than 3,000 U.S. citizens in jobs previously held
     by illegal aliens.  Since 1993, more than 15,000 enforcement
     actions have led to more than 25,000 apprehensions and $10.5
     million in employer fines.  

þ    The U.S. Attorneys' immigration caseload increased 64.5
     percent from FY 1994 to 1995, resulting in a 28 percent
     increase in the number of defendents tried.

OTHER FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVES

    Health Care Fraud:  $79 million to combat the problem of
     fraud.  This initiative includes $56 million and 339 agents to
     be made available to the FBI upon passage of the proposed
     Health Care Fraud and Abuse Act of 1995, which authorizes
     funds for Federal agencies to promote multi-level government
     coordination, investigations, prosecutions, and reporting on
     health care fraud and abuse cases.  Also included is an
     additional $23 million, to be funded through the proposed
     Health Care Fraud and Abuse Act of 1995 to cover the costs of
     prosecuting health care fraud matters.

    SCAMS:  $4.0 million for the FBI's Senior Citizens Against
     Marketing Scams (SCAMS) initiative, for the United States
     Attorneys to prosecute SCAMS fraud cases, and for OJP's
     Telemarketing Fraud Against Seniors program, authorized in the
     Crime Bill to provide grants to State and local law
     enforcement agencies and senior citizen advocacy groups for
     public awareness and prevention.


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