Posted on 12/08/2006 8:17:53 AM PST by Graybeard58
AUSTIN — Undocumented immigrants have boosted the state's economy by $17.7 billion and haven't been a drain on state government — but they did cost local governments $929 million in 2005, the Texas comptroller's office reported Thursday.
The report by Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is the first comprehensive effort by the state government to calculate the benefits and costs of having 1.4 million to 1.6 million undocumented immigrants in Texas.
Overall, the survey found undocumented immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in state services.
But the report's results quickly became part of a brewing legislative debate over whether it is right for people who are in the country illegally to receive services paid for by citizens and legal resident taxpayers.
Most of the undocumented immigrants in Texas are from Latin America, predominantly Mexico. They are the working poor, doing service and construction jobs. But they also will send $5.2 billion home to their native countries this year, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.
In her recent unsuccessful campaign for governor, Strayhorn said the federal government needs to halt illegal immigration. On Thursday, she said her report showed the need for federal immigration reform to make sure needed workers are in the country legally.
"It certainly demonstrates that you need a guest worker program, but you also need a fair immigration plan," Strayhorn said.
The Strayhorn report used a model that was built on how much undocumented immigrants earn as well as the return on capital from their labor to produce an impact on the gross state product. The $17.7 billion positive impact on the state's economy does not factor in any effects of the immigrants sending money home.
The report estimated there are 135,000 undocumented children in the public school system, costing the state $957 million a year. Another 3,792 are in state colleges, costing about $11.2 million.
The cost for the state supplying health care programs for undocumented immigrants was set at $57.9 million.
The state prison system on an average day held 8,931 illegal immigrants, costing a total of $130.6 million a year, the report stated.
The total cost for state services was $1.15 billion, but undocumented immigrants, through sales and property taxes, provided $1.58 billion in taxes for the state. That was a net positive impact to state finances of $424.7 million, Strayhorn said.
But there was a negative impact on local governments.
The total cost to incarcerate immigrants who commit crimes was estimated to be $49 million for counties statewide.
Strayhorn's office estimated the cost was $18.9 million for Harris County, the highest in the state. Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley was second at $5.2 million.
Bexar County was fifth in the state, with an annual cost of $3.9 million.
Another $92.9 million is being spent on courts and probation systems to handle undocumented immigrants.
The biggest local cost was for indigent health care provided by counties and local hospital districts, estimated at $1.3 billion statewide.
But undocumented immigrants in 2005 paid $513 million in local sales and property taxes, leaving a $929 million gap payment gap for local services.
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who has introduced controversial legislation to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants, said he believes the costs are much higher than those in Strayhorn's report.
Citing a study done by the conservative Lone Star Foundation, Berman said the total cost to the state is $4.5 billion a year to provide services to immigrants, but he said they pay just $1 billion in tax collections.
"This is the net loss to the taxpayers of the state," he said.
Berman said he also supports a guest worker program because the immigrants are needed for the economy. But he said he does not want them to receive any state or local services that are not mandated by federal law.
No need for any study at all, the facts are clear.
I am well aware of the fact that the immigrants pay taxes. But I trust Nothing that comes out of Strayhorn's office.
This issue is so frustrating.
It does not matter how empirically wrong the anti-illegal immigration crowd is, the emotion trumps.
The US has had waves of much higher immigration and it has never destroyed the country. Our current wave has only indicated economic boom not bust.
I do support English primacy laws and assimilation but I do not believe illegal immigration is adverse as an economic impact.
They do pay sales tax and many other taxes relating to property. To pretend otherwise is absurd.
This nation has prospered immensely from illegal immigration.
Citing a study done by the conservative Lone Star Foundation, Berman said the total cost to the state is $4.5 billion a year to provide services to immigrants, but he said they pay just $1 billion in tax collections.
"This is the net loss to the taxpayers of the state," he said.
The sparks are gonna fly over this..Lou Dobbs should have him on his show!
sw
Good grief! You just flew off the handle onto a totally different subject.
It is a cheap one time fix. A citizen worker must support himself, grandma and grandpa and the kids. An immigrant, usually leaves grandma and grandpa at the home country and sometimes the wife and kids are there too.
But at some point, you can't keep importing immigrants forever.
The better way to go is to reduce stupid consumption at all levels and then you can support the grandparents and the kids without immigration. Cut the idiot govt. regulation and spending. Cut your own idiot spending. Reduce debt. In otherwords, get back to the basics and we can do very well without immigration as was the case in the 60's and 70's.
Still, the temporary H1B is a fabulous program as a healthy adult worker comes to the US for a few years, while gramps and the wife and kids stay in the home country.
No. We disagree. An Immigrant is totally and completely in this country LEGALLY. The current border-jumpers are not immigrants because they have not entered this country LEGALLY. If you choose to believe otherwise, that is your choice.
BTW, it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that they are human beings. Everyone who has eyes can see they are human beings. Anyway, that is another issue.
FYI-It is very, very unhelpful in any situation to either intentionally or untentionally confuse issues. Since it is very apparent that you are choosing to willfully meld those two into one, I see absolutely no reason to continue this conversation. If you choose to do so, you may discuss this further with me AFTER clearing up the confusion in your own mind...
That said, living in California, you can look around and see the negative consquences of massive illegal immigration on neighborhoods, schools, and hospital emergency rooms.
Interest rates are a function of money supply which is controlled by the feds. The recent record low interest rates have nothing to do the illegal immigration. It was a function of the Feds loose money supply to get us out of a recession. The up tick in interest rates for the last 18 months is the result of the Fed tightening the money supply.
Cost of Illegals to California $10.5 Billion
An analysis of recent census data indicates that the presence of illegal aliens in California is costing the state's taxpayers more than $10.5 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration.
The report, written by the Federation of American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, states that even if the tax contributions of illegal aliens are subtracted, state government outlays still amount to nearly $9 billion a year.
The $10.5 billion figure translates into a burden to native-born residents of $1,183 per household.
Nope.
That's a blatant lie.
Here I think we have a disagreement. Check out post 111.
Precisely how does Miz Keeton Rylander Strayhorn Whatever document the costs of "undocumented" illegal aliens?
Hmmmm?
Someone have a link to the Lone Star Foundation study?
24 hours a day (several drivers or shifts) times 21 days (3 weeks) = 504 hours * 50 mph (average) = 25,000 miles.
The TV reports that the money is good. There are two sources: from "coyoting" (carrying the illegals into the US and making transportation to a big city) and kidnapping (stealing someone else's illegals and holding them hostage in the big city).
"It does not matter how empirically wrong the anti-illegal immigration crowd is, the emotion trumps."
Surely you have links for your emotional rant?????????
"The US has had waves of much higher immigration and it has never destroyed the country. Our current wave has only indicated economic boom not bust."
http://www.themonitor.com
Now type in "hospitals" in the search engine. You will learn a lot on this page. Just facts for stupido gringos. The below article will show you how close we are to socialized medicine.
http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=867&Section=Local
Now, I would like to see some facts from you and not emotional rants. By the way, they are building more hospitals in the valley, as they know the stupido gringos from the north will fund them.
I thought we were tallking about an article that had some facts in it.
Did you not like those?
I see you found some others on the internet.
Good for you.
The US economy is the largest and most powerful in the world despite the supposed disaster of illegal immigration.
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