Posted on 04/11/2005 5:25:04 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Analysis of the latest Census data indicates Texas’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers more than $4.7 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to more than $3.7 billion per year. The annual fiscal burden amounts to about $725 per Texas household headed by a native-born resident.
This analysis looks specifically at the costs to the state for education, health care and incarceration resulting from illegal immigration. These three are the largest cost areas, and they are the same three areas analyzed in a 1994 study conducted by the Urban Institute, which provides a useful baseline for comparison ten years later. Other studies have been conducted in the interim, showing trends that support the conclusions of this report.
Other significant costs associated with illegal immigration exist, and these too should be taken into account by federal and state officials. Even without accounting for all of the numerous areas in which costs associated with illegal immigration are being incurred by Texas taxpayers, the program areas analyzed in this study indicate that the burden is substantial and that the costs are rapidly increasing.
The more than $4.7 billion in costs incurred by Texas taxpayers annually result from outlays in the following areas:
Education. Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Texas and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Texans spend more than $4 billion annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S.-born siblings. About 11.9 percent of the K-12 public school students in Texas are children of illegal aliens.
Health Care. Taxpayer-funded medical outlays for health care provided to the state’s illegal alien population amount to about $520 million a year.
Incarceration. The uncompensated cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in Texas’s state and county prisons amounts to about $150 million a year (not including local jail detention costs or related law enforcement and judicial expenditures or the monetary costs of the crimes that led to their incarceration). State and local taxes paid by the unauthorized immigrant population go toward offsetting these costs, but they do not come near to matching the expenses. The total of such payments can generously be estimated at slightly less than $1 billion per year.
The fiscal costs of illegal immigration do not end with these three major cost areas. The total costs of illegal immigration to the state’s taxpayers would be considerably higher if other cost areas such as special English instruction, welfare programs used by the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, or welfare benefits for American workers displaced by illegal alien workers were also calculated.
While the primary responsibility for combating illegal immigration rests with the federal government, there are many measures that state and local governments can take to combat the problem. Texans should not be expected to assume this already large and growing burden from illegal immigration simply because local businesses or other special interests benefit from being able to employ lower cost workers. The state could adopt measures to systematically collect information on illegal alien use of taxpayer-funded services and on where they are employed. Policies could then be pursued to hold employers financially accountable.
The state could also enter into a cooperative agreement with the federal government for training local law enforcement personnel in immigration law so illegal immigrants apprehended for breaking the law can be expeditiously turned over to the immigration authorities for removal from the country. Similarly, local officials who have adopted “sanctuary” measures that shield illegal aliens from being reported to the immigration authorities should be urged to repeal them.
Texas has also voluntarily adopted policies that add to the cost burdens of illegal immigration. While all states are compelled under a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision to provide a free K-12 education to all children, irrespective of their immigration status, they are under no obligation to subsidize education beyond that point. Nevertheless, the Texas legislature and Governor Perry have decided to grant in-state tuition benefits at public colleges and universities to illegal aliens.
It is unreasonable for a state to expect federal assistance to compensate for the fiscal burden of illegal immigration if it is pursuing policies that encourage illegal aliens to come and remain in the state.
The full report is available in html and pdf
April 2005
They contribute very little to this country's economy accept to the people who employ them. They drive down wages and make working farm jobs all but impossible for Americans who cannot live on the wages, or won't bust their tails in the sun all day for slave wages. "A fair days work for a fair days pay" works both ways not just for the worker but for the person paying the wage.
One of the biggest drains on our economy from illegals is the fact they send large portions of their pay home to Mexico or whatever country they are from. This hurts our economy, if you don't think so you need to study economics. These are my opinions but I believe them to be correct. We need to get our borders under control. Legal immigrants, yes. Illegal aliens, NO.
>>>"(a) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Laws of the United States"
Non-English speakers get out of jury duty. They can't provide the responsibilities required of citizens. So, they should leave or give up their citizenship and become mere permanent residents with no right to give birth to citizens.
Hoppy
It's truly clear from this ongoing illegal alien dilemma that our government is now disfunctional.
Time to call our troops home and regroup. Who needs a MidEast, European, Far East foreign policy with an on-going invasion across our southern border.
And it's time to write our Congressmen and tell them to not work on any other legislation than dealing with the border problems and illegal aliens. None other!
Hoppy
You don't appreciate anything except your own misguided interpretation of the constitution. There is no "perceived trouble" it is real trouble and obvious to anyone who doesn't have an open borders agenda.
You are obviously a liberal who wants a one world government, open borders, socialism for all.
Illegals are killing this country and if they are such a benefit to the US why are Southern California Hospitals closing because of the cost of treating this "percieved" trouble? If they contribute so much why aren't the hospitals and schools in the states that have the most illegals doiing well? Why are they collasping? The trouble is real and no amount of double talk and misinterpretation of the constitution by liberals like yourself will change that.
It is way past the point of hiding the destruction they do.
I don't do Walmart! Hate supersized stores! I also try to buy everything possible within my own State as well.
"everything is unconstitutional"..I even take my dog out for her "constitutional" each night.
We'll see.
That's not what the case said.
Ahhh...think you are responding to the wrong person. ;)
Mismanagement?
You are obviously a liberal who wants a one world government, open borders, socialism for all.
No, From what Ive seen, Clintonbegone is a conservative who is for open borders. Open borders and the massive influx of people from a left wing country would, of course, mean eventual socialism in this country, but thats another arguement. The reasons Clintonbegone is for open borders is nebulous because he/she is very evasive about it. Perhaps for the perceived economic boost of the cheap labor. Perhaps to win the hispanic vote and defeat Hillary in 08 (CLINTON be gone). And I believe that he/she is an immigrant (legal or illegal I cant say) and/or is of hispanic decent although that has only been eluded to and he/she has refused to say I think.
If your an illegal you don't have an immigration status .....your a criminal.
But thanks for playing ......
Actually, you have all the constitutional protections of anyone else in the USA.
Exactly.
Good thing all that got worked out before Prop 200 in AZ. was written so that the will of the people cannot be subverted by a judges broad interpretation of a severability clause. Live and learn.
We'll see.
I have no doubt that you and the other FOQNAs would like to see Prop. 200, and any decision voted on by the people of this country, being over-ruled by liberal judges, or subverted by another nation's complaint in an International Tribunal.
This is actually a redundant statement. The conservative approach favors the right to live where you want.
Tried to send it to the original post, intended it to be applied to the members mentioned in the article.
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