Illegal Immigration Costs Demonstrated Again

Heritage Foundation ^ | March 6, '08 | staff

[T.L.Sink]

Slowly but surely Washington is acknowledging the high cost illegal immigration inflicts on local governments. The New York Times reports on a study by the University of Arizona and San Diego State University showing counties along the Mexican border spent $1.23 billion processing illegal immigrants through the justice system. Heritage research shows the cost of low skilled immigrants does not end there. In FY 2004, at the local and state level, the average low skill immigrant household received $14,145 in benefits and services and paid only $5,309 in taxes. The average low skill immigrant households imposed a fiscal burden on local and state government of $8,836 per year. Current federal immigration policy permits a massive inflow of both legal and illegal low skill immigrants to enter and reside in the U.S. This imposes a massive unfunded mandate on local and state government which must bear the costs. States looking to alleviate the fiscal burden have tools at their disposal including: 1) implementing REAL ID standards; 2) denying public benefits; 3) imposing sanctions on employers who hire illegals; and 4) ensuring voters are citizens.

[T.L.Sink]

It's unfortunate, but the next president will not only fail to show any leadership in implementing those four criteria but he/she will attempt to undermine them in order to facilitate the huge illegal alien invasion.

[ARE SOLE]

Politicians ignore cost of illegal immigration, again.

[ScratInTheHat]

USA racing to the bottom once again!

[devane617]

illegal immigration is the “real” war on terror...and we lost.

[VOA]

bump

[pillut48]

“Oh, pshaw!! Those facts mean nothing!!! Everyone with any sense knows that undocumented migrant workers are the VICTIMS in these situations, and that Americans are disenchfranchising them out of their rightful inheritance when they sneak...er, migrate to the United States!!! Si se puede!!!!”
/La Raza, et al off

::eyeballs roll to back of head::

[Syncro]

4) ensuring voters are citizens.

Oh oh, don't do that. The democrats will start losing elections

[WesternPacific]

Washington is acknowledging the high cost illegal immigration inflicts on local governments

And the answer to this tragedy by this Administration's Deep Thinkers and evidently future administrations is to Legalize Illegal Immigration

[Jabba the Nutt]

The Democrats love lawsuits, why not propose a law to allow local governments to sue the Federal Government for not enforcing current immigration laws and to recover their costs brought about by this lack of enforcement?

I think just the proposal of this law would have many good effects. Politically, it would split the Democrats. It would also concentrate the minds of the elected and appointed officials of the Federal Government, who would lose control of millions of dollars and have to defend their policies and actions in court.

The Feds for far too long have been able to push off the costs of their policies onto others for far too long. Oh, to be really nasty, allow private individuals and their estates to sue the Federal Government. Your wife and mother of your children is killed by an illegal alien drunk driver. Why shouldn't you be able to collect from the Federal Government for the death of your wife?

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[PA-RIVER]

The sad fact is that these politicians could care less how this tax burden crushes the middle class. They simply want to be popular and give away our money.

Angry American voters will be coming together, but to late to make a difference.

It looks like an effective check mate on freedom is coming soon. The takers will soon outnumber the givers.

[adorno]

Heritage research shows the costs of low-skilled immigrants to local governments does not end there. In FY 2004, at the state and local level, the average low skill immigrant household received $14,145 in benefits and services and paid only $5,309 in taxes. The average low skill immigrant households imposed a net fiscal burden on state and local government of $8,836 per year.

The regular Joe and the regular Jane don't care because it doesn't affect their pocketbooks. It's "government money".

Now, if that Joe or Jane were to be shown exactly how much is costs him directly, then he or she might change his/her mind about who is paying.

But, instead of just showing Joe or Jane how much it's costing him or her directly, why not turn the whole system upside down completely and send the bill directly to Joe and Jane. Let's see how much they would approve of allowing foreigners to drive up the costs of government and services. So, if Joe or Jane don't mind absorbing the costs of foreigners on our services, let's see if they are just as caring when they have to send their share of the cost directly to the government. It the cost becomes a direct tax to each and every citizen, due once each year, and becomes mandatory, I'm pretty sure that most citizens would be up in arms and demanding the heads of those that would waste their hard-earned money.

Another suggestion would be to let the average citizen to see how much less they would pay on average in taxes if the government wasn't paying for the illegals from taxes collected from hard-working American citizens. And the breakdowns should be shown for both local and federal expenses.

As long as the costs of illegals continue to be "hidden" through government, and people continue to think that they're not affected directly, then people won't care about changing things.

[Boiling point]

Members of La Raza claim that the south west belongs to them, and the Americans stole it. The interesting part is, when Mexico controlled it, it was worthless. AMERICANS built the infrastructure, the roads, schools, shopping malls, law enforcement and fire protection. The dams for water, power and irrigation, sewer treatment. Everything that is making it attractive for the massive influx of illegals. I believe in a scorched earth policy, if they really want it back, let them have it in the same condition it was in when they occupied it before. All the cool stuff WE PAID FOR comes down.

[KC_Conspirator]

The average low skill immigrant households imposed a net fiscal burden on state and local government of $8,836 per year.

So roughly, at a minimum, if we have 10 million illegal aliens, its costing us 88,000,000,000 a year.

[romanesq]

It doesn’t matter what the costs are of illegal immigrants.
What matters is the cheap/slave labor businesses get that contribute to the campaigns of the same politicians.

Selling out your country is not an issue.

[rodguy911]

Immigration and energy are two of our biggest clubs against the rats. We have to use them. I hope we don't have to drag McCRazy along kicking and screaming.

[So Circumstanced]

HOT, COLD, HOT,COLD, HOT.

Heritage Conservative mission statement = H0T

Heritage/ Romney Coercive Care = FRIGID

Heritage sometimes inattention while illegal aliens defied law=COLD

Heritage statistics on illegal aliens= Accutely HOT, (the best there is.)

This former Heritage member is getting the flashes.

(Kinda like what Hillary experiences especially when she stands next to Al Gore.)

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

‘the cost becomes a direct tax to each and every citizen, due once each year,”

We all should have to write checks to pay all of our taxes. There’d be a revolution. I asked one of my friends how much he made. He said,”I take home this much.” I said I didn’t ask how much he took home, I asked how much he actually made. I got him to carry a little notebook with him and write down all the taxes he paid. I looked up the state tax on gas so he could add that in. At the end of the week, he was pretty po’d! He now votes Republican!

[nyyankeefan]

the politicos of the US are determined to have the USA become a true turd world nation....they will tax until there is no money left to support all these parasitic illegal invaders destroying the country!!!

[Puppage]

It's unfortunate, but the next president will not only fail to show any leadership in implementing those four criteria but he/she will attempt to undermine them in order to facilitate the huge illegal alien invasion.

I guess "all enemies foreign and domestic" is out the window?

Good bye America. We hardly knew ye