Posted on 08/24/2003 3:58:57 AM PDT by JustPiper
COMING TO AMERICA
$7.4 billion expense hurting American kids, group says
An immigration reform group says in a new study it costs states more than $7.4 billion a year to educate illegal aliens, with budget-busted California spending more than any other.
Worse, warns the Federation for American Immigration Reform report, the extra expenditures are taking funds away from American children at a time when "public schools throughout the country are facing some of the most significant decreases in state education funding in decades."
Many Mexican children cross into U.S. from Mexico daily to go to school. (Jon Dougherty/WND photo)
"With state budgets in crisis and children taking the hit, communities' limited tax dollars are being diverted to accommodate mass illegal immigration," said the report. "In some states, the amount of money spent to educate illegal alien children accounts for a substantial portion of the state budget shortfall; in New Jersey, for instance, it accounts for 28 percent of the total state budget deficit."
FAIR says almost two-thirds of states either have cut back or proposed reductions in their child care and early childhood programs.
"In some states, drastic cuts mean lay-offs for teachers, larger class sizes, fewer textbooks, and eliminating sports, language programs and after-school activities," the report noted.
The total cost, FAIR says, is "enough to buy a computer for every junior high student nationwide."
Other immigration reformists have said the cost of providing education and other public services to illegals has steadily been on the rise.
Adding to those costs, says Jim Boulet, Jr., head of English First, a group pushing English as the nation's official language, are translation costs to schools that must hire interpreters for Spanish-only immigrant students.
Plus, Boulet told WorldNetDaily, "Cuban Spanish, Puerto Rican Spanish, Chicano Spanish, and additional forms of Spanish all exist within the borders of the U.S., creating vast potential for cross-cultural confusion" and, of course, extra expense, despite "California being an official English state."
According to the FAIR report, California spends the most – $2.2 billion – to educate illegal immigrant children. Ranking second and third, respectively, are Texas and New York.
FAIR analysts said each state's per-pupil expenditure was reported by the U.S. Department of Education. The group said it based its figures on the Urban Institute's estimate of 1.1 million school-aged illegal immigrant children currently residing in the U.S.
The report also says there are efforts underway in several states and Congress to allow illegal aliens to pay deeply discounted, in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities – rates not available to American citizens from out of state.
"As states cut school funding left and right, all of our children – native-born and immigrants alike – are receiving a poorer education as a result of the federal government passing its immigration law enforcement failures on to the states," the report concluded. "The implications for the coming generations of workers, our future economy and our long-term competitiveness in the world cannot be ignored."
Supporters of immigration say the cost to educate immigrant children – legal or otherwise – is a non-issue.
"Regardless of what the dollar figure is, these children have a right to an education," Jim Ferg-Cadima, legislative staff lawyer at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, told The Washington Times. "The issue was litigated all the way to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court decided on the issue."
In the high court's 1982 decision, Plyler v. Doe, justices said in a 5-4 decision the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment forbade public schools from prohibiting any children, regardless of citizenship status, an education.
Other supporters say the cost of educating illegals is minimal compared to the overall $700 billion annual cost of public education. And, they say it is the nation's best interests to educate illegal alien children rather than ignore them.
Still, the costs are continuing to rise and they come at a time when more Americans have become fed up with providing benefits to illegal immigrants.
An Aug. 30, 2001, Harris Interactive poll found 60 percent of Americans opposed a new plan to grant illegals amnesty.
"By decisive margins, the American public believes that illegal immigration is a net drain on public resources and that granting amnesty to illegal immigrants will encourage even more people to migrate illegally," the survey said.
A RoperASW poll in March found three in four Americans would reduce the number of immigrants allowed into the country annually. Fifty-eight percent would limit legal immigration to 300,000 a year, and 85 percent viewed illegal immigration as a "serious" problem.
"Illegal immigration is no free lunch," Dan Stein, executive director of FAIR, told the Times. "It's about shifting burdens – lowering labor costs at a tremendous cost not only to American taxpayers but to American kids."
Mark Krikorian, head of the Center for Immigration Studies, said U.S. and state governments could reduce costs by enforcing laws on the books.
"The solution is to start enforcing the law – not just at the border, which is politically easy, but also inside the country," he told WorldNetDaily.
Added FAIR spokesman David Ray: "If illegal immigration is not stopped at the border, its negative consequences, including bankrupt emergency rooms and overcrowded schools, quickly become everyone's financial burden."
Same thing here is Kali. Its just amazing the vehicles that they drive. How can they afford the nice trucks and SUV's without fraud of some sort? Its like they come here, get free food, housing, medical, education and who know what else.....then they get the big car or truck. I wonder if they are given that too with some program...what a country!
*snicker* You're a hypocrite.
You can tell legal status by sight? Impressive.
Market that skill and maybe you can get a nice SUV.
The problem is that illegal aliens are coming here ILLEGALLY. Foreigners who want to come to and live in the U.S. need to obey our immigration laws.
The way they do it --- the anchor mom has the kids, she's in a common-law marriage so she can just claim she's a single mom ---- they caught on to this one real quickly ---- she gets free housing, food stamps and all the rest --- more with every baby she produces. The father -- or new boyfriend lives with the woman and kids, he works for cash do doesn't have to file with IRS, or might use stolen documents to have a better paying job. Either way, he doesn't have to pay for his family or the family he's living with --- plus the really nice trucks and cars are bought from drug running which is very profitable.
Drug smugglers driving nice cars is so common in this area --- I know a doctor from Mexico ---very successful --- who drives Fords because he doesn't want to be confused with a drug lord which most people would assume he is if he drives a Lexus. A few trips over the border with a carload of heroin or cocaine and you've bought yourself a nice SUV.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.