Illegal Immigration Costs Colorado Nearly $1.1 Billion Annually Finds Newly Released Study from FAIR

PRNewswire-USNewswire/Yahoo News ^ | Dec 11,2008 | Jack Martin of FAIR

[HollyButler]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A report prepared by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that illegal immigration costs Colorado about $1.1 billion a year, or about $612 for every native-born household in the state. The report, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Coloradans, looks at just three essential state provided services and programs: K-12 education, public health care, and incarceration from criminal illegal aliens.

According the report, illegal aliens in Colorado pay about $160 million in taxes, reducing the net costs to the state to $912 million annually. However, since most of the jobs currently held by illegal aliens would likely be filled by legal workers, at higher wages, the taxes paid by illegal aliens would have been collected anyway.

The release of The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Coloradans coincides with worsening fiscal news for the state. While the state spends more than $1 billion on services for illegal aliens, Colorado is faced with a $101 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.

-- Education. K-12 education for the estimated 84,000 children of illegal aliens attending Colorado public schools costs taxpayers $925 million. It costs the state an additional $68 million a year to provide for the special educational needs of nonEnglish-speaking kids. -- Health care. Uncompensated health care for illegal aliens costs Colorado $78 million a year. -- Incarceration. In addition to the human and economic costs of crimes committed by criminal illegal aliens, incarcerating the perpetrators carries a $38 million annual price tag.

[GOP Poet]

Soon enough we will find that nearly all the states overcome with illegals will be in serious financial trouble. California is just the beginning on this one.

[PistolPaknMama]

So we have to bail them out too?

[freedumb2003]

California is about 8 times the size (by population) of Colorado. California has a deficit of $11 Billion

The math speaks for itself.

[relictele]

Compassion ain’t free.

[kabar]

A recent study by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities revealed that 41 states are facing severe budget shortfalls for 2009. Some states are worse off than others, with California ($31.7 billion) and Florida ($5.1 billion) leading the deficit pack. In all, the 41 states are currently facing a $71.9 billion budget shortfall. The key word here is “currently,” since a similar study was conducted by the same group only three months earlier, at which time “only” 29 states were predicted to face shortfalls of a “mere” $48 billion. As the recession deepens, so will the state’s budget problems, turning this “budget crisis” into a humanitarian disaster. Projections have already been made for a $200 billion shortfall by 2010.

[RJL]

Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that illegal immigration costs Colorado about $1.1 billion a year...

Colorado is faced with a $101 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year.

So without the illegals Colorado would be running a $1 Billion a year surplus.

Thanks Bush!

[GOP Poet]

Yes. The $11 billion is also just an administrative recording (I read on here). There is talk it is more like $30 billion, but I guess we will soon find out.

[ari-freedom]

it’s a phony libertarianism. “Open borders! We’re more free!”

And everyone else has to pay higher taxes as a result.

[Nathan Zachary]

"Education. K-12 education for the estimated 84,000 children of illegal aliens attending Colorado public schools costs taxpayers $925 million."

To learn all about homosexual sex, and what the government should OWE them for being born. Free health care. Free welfare. Free education. Free housing. Free taxi rides to the food bank for free food, etc. etc.

What a bargain...

[rbosque]

Send the bill to Ted Kennedy & co.

“This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1-1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another Amnesty Bill like this.” -Ted Kennedy, 1986