by Joe Guzzardi
With the federal debt ceiling debate at crisis level, Republicans and Democrats are rumored to be working hard to cut fat from the budget.
As usual, however, illegal immigration is not one of the variables under consideration. If I didn’t know better, I might think the United States didn’t have an illegal immigrant population that is at least 11-30 million strong. And I might also think, mistakenly, that since illegal immigration isn’t part of the budget debate, it represents no cost to taxpayers.
In his July 18 Fox News opinion column Bob Dane, communications director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, wondered how federal funding to millions of illegal immigrants could be left off the table. Since Congress refuses to discuss illegal immigration as a significant factor in layers of national debt, then we can sadly conclude that it has no plan other than to allow the status quo to continue. Doing nothing, however, guarantees that costs associated with illegal immigration will increase indefinitely
Dane offers several practical recommendations, with which I agree, that would not only gradually reduce expenditures on illegal immigrants but also would create job opportunities for millions of unemployed Americans.
According to FAIR’s analysis, American taxpayers spend $113 billion annually to subsidize illegal immigration. State and local taxpayers are the most heavily hit. They provide $84 billion in services while the federal government pays out $29 billion. With funding for illegal immigration—housing, education K-12 and college, ESL, emergency medical care and AFDC—obviously a major budget factor, the question for Congress is how to permanently eliminate those costs that taxpayers should not have to bear.
If Congress fails to act decisively, then the costs associated with illegal immigration remain. Trying to eliminate programs one-by-one like the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program or K-12 education that aliens are able to take advantage of would be politically unfeasible. Among other hurdles, U.S. citizens are also WIC beneficiaries and many of the students who benefit are the American citizen children of illegal immigrants.
The more effective solution is the long term, permanent one. A problem the magnitude of illegal immigration, which began with the Immigration Act of 1965 and has continued uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, won’t go away over night.
Congress’ immediate goal should be approve legislation that makes it increasingly less appealing to immigrate to the United States and may also encourage illegal immigrants already residing here to go home. The top priorities are the two pending bills, one in the Senate and another in the House, that would mandate E-Verify, the free-to-employers program that confirms whether newly hired workers are legally authorized to hold jobs.
Once E-Verify is in place, the U.S. jobs magnet—not as powerful as it was a decade ago but still alluring—disappears. And gradually, illegal immigrants living in the U.S. will find it increasingly difficult to get jobs. Many will eventually go home.
Now is the time for Congress to act. According to a new Rasmussen poll, 75 percent of Americans favor strict penalties against employers who hire aliens. With a tough election looming in 2012, Congress can take advantage of the electorate’s mood by passing mandatory E-Verify and then campaigning on a platform of acting in the best interests of American workers.
Joe Guzzardi has written editorial columns - mostly about immigration and related social issues – since 1986. He is a Senior Writing Fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) and his columns have frequently been syndicated in various U.S. newspapers and websites. Contact him at JoeGuzzardi@CAPSweb.org.
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WE NEED FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. REDUCE THE DEBT CEILING BY MANDATING E-VERIFY, SECURE COMMUNITIES AND URGENTLY SECURING THE US BORDER.
Has any American thought to question the Liberals and Democrats, why they think the 1986 Immigration Control and Reform Act is broken? Is so, like any bill–why cannot be amended, as they are able with any law that passes through Congress? Again, the next question is why these people in the Senate are pushing for another Amnesty, when such an event would injure the American people adding to the bleeding national deficit. Even if the Congress found the votes to pass another Amnesty, isn’t it incredulously pathetic to add another 2.5 Trillion to the US treasury 14.5 Trillion dollars deficit. This is according to the Heritage Foundation Robert Rector’s projection, after analyzing the 1986 volume Amnesty that cost only 76 Billion dollars. Are you willing to have your tax dollars spent on legitimizing every person who breaks our laws? For over three decades nothing has been done, in fact the Simpson/Mazzoli bill was an absolute failure.
IF AMERICANS DON’T START SPEAKING UP AND DEMANDING THAT THEIR OWN INTERESTS ARE FULLY RECOGNIZED BY THE POLITICIANS, THEY WILL BE SADDLED WITH AT LEAST 20 MILLION FOREIGN NATIONALS, WHICH THEY WILL HAVE TO SUPPORT, PLUS GOD KNOWS HOW MANY FAMILY MEMBERS UNDER THE CHAIN MIGRATION LAW.
The world of Academia have stated in many publications, that is mostly Liberal progressive oriented media that immigration of any kind, is good for the economy? They insult Californians, Arizonians; Nevadans legal residents burgeoned down with a never ending influx of poverty, which taxpayers are–FORCED– to sustain. Fair’s statement is, “American taxpayers spend $113 billion annually subsidizing illegal immigration and padding the pockets of businesses addicted to cheap labor. Taxpayers at the state and local levels bear the brunt, providing $84 billion in services annually while the federal government spends $29 billion. In some states, reducing the fiscal burden of illegal immigration would represent nothing short of an economic miracle: The latter figure is — incidentally — almost exactly equal to the interest payment on the total federal debt this past April. Of course, the debt continues to grow uncontrollably because the government must borrow to keep up with, among other things, the growing cost of illegal immigration.
The report examines the likely consequences if an amnesty for the illegal alien population were adopted similar to the one adopted in 1986.Estimates are in–BILLIONS–of dollars. This is also based on only 13 million foreign nationals squatting here. The full report is available in pdf format. http://www.fairus.org/site/DocServer/USCostStudy_2010.pdf?docID=4921
Federal Expenditures on Illegal Aliens
Education Title 1 program $1,332,900,000
Migrant education program $236,900,000
Title 111 program $538,000,000
Education Subtotal $2,107,800,000
Medical Emergency medical care $250,000,000
Fraudulent use of Medicaid $1,235,000,000
Medicaid cost of childbirth $1,238,100,000
Medicaid for children $1,626,800,000
other medical outlays $1,600,000,000
Medical Subtotal $5,949,900,000
Law enforcement Scaap compensation $330,000,000
Federal incarceration $678,400,000
Byrne grants $24,300,000
Detention and removal $2,545,000,000
Project safe neighborhoods $39,500,000
Residual ice functions $2,824,000,000
Exec. Office of immigration review $222,500,000
Southwest border prosecution $33,000,000
National Guard $642,000,000
Coast Guard $500,000,000
Law Enforcement Subtotal $7,838,700,000
Public assistance Free and reduced meal program $2,264,600,000
Temporary assist. Needy families $1,030,000,000
Housing assistance programs $637,000,000
Child care & development fund $633,000,000
Public Assistance Subtotal $4,564,600,000
General expenditures $8,184,400,000
TOTAL $28B, 645,400,000
State/Local Expenditures on Illegal Aliens ($ M)
Alabama $298 Illinois $4B,592 Montana $32 Rhode Island $278
Alaska $139 Indiana $608 Nebraska $262 S. Carolina $391
Arizona $2B,569 Iowa $350 Nevada $1B,191 S. Dakota $33
Arkansas $244 Kansas $442 New Hampshire $123 Tennessee $547
California $21B,756 Kentucky $280 New Jersey $3B,478 Texas $8,878
Colorado $1,451 Louisiana $224 New Mexico $608 Utah $453
Connecticut $957 Maine $41 New York $9B,479 Vermont $38
Wash D.C. $312 Maryland $1B,724 N. Carolina $2B,063 Virginia $1B,905
Delaware $305 Massachusetts. $1B,862 N. Dakota $32 Washington State $1B,510
Florida $5B,463 Michigan $929 Ohio $563 W. Virginia. $31
Georgia $2B,399 Minnesota. $744 Oklahoma $465 Wisconsin $883
Hawaii $155 Mississippi. $106 Oregon $705 Wyoming $51
Idaho $188 Missouri $338 Penn. $1B,378 TOTAL $83B,851
RECEIPTS FROM ILLEGAL ALIENS
Category federal State/local
Income -$2,302,800,000 $244,200,000
Social security $7,000,000,000
Medicare tax $1,637,100,000
Excise and miscellaneous $2,489,700,000
Employer (FUTA & income) $632,600,000
Property tax $1,378,000,000
Sales tax $2,333,000,000
TOTAL $9B, 456,600,000 $3B, 955,200,000
Fair also provided, “The savings can’t be realized overnight because much of the expense is mandated by law requiring the education of the children of illegal aliens, many of whom are U.S. born, and for emergency medical treatment. But it is a responsible step in the right direction. Reducing these costs requires the administration to actually enforce existing immigration laws, complete border fencing, allow states to participate in the enforcement process, and otherwise deny benefits and incentives to illegal aliens. Fewer than 6 percent of legal immigrants were admitted because they possessed skills deemed essential to the U.S. economy. Most are admitted because of family ties to earlier immigrants, many of whom are living in poverty or near poverty. As a result, immigration bloats an already-existing surplus of low-skilled workers, increasing job competition and driving down wages for American workers.
We can all stand with our fellow jobless countryman by Calling House and Senate Leadership NOW Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 As a conclusion, Arizona needs our help from years of a neglected border and the flow of–ECONOMIC–foreign nationals. Don’t take my word for the facts, as you can find the ugly truth of the illegal settlement at NumbersUSA that has been forced upon us for over thirty years. There have been 6 hidden small Amnesties and the clandestine millions of skilled workers that have arrive here every year, in competition from US workers high paying jobs.
Those not content with the governments excuses for not constructing the REAL DOUBLE FENCE–can donate to the website at: https://www.buildtheborderfence.com/azborder/index.xhtml
MAKE OTHER PEOPLE AWARE OF THE OMINOUS FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF ANY NEW AMNESTY
While I agree with most of text, it contains one glaring misconception. The children of illegal aliens, born in this country, are NOT US citizens. If you would take about 30 min to research the 14th Amendment, you’d have known this.
“The 14th amendment will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the government of the United States, but will include every other class of person.”… Sen Jacob Howard, principle author of the 14th amendment.
Just because, some highly politically motivated lower court “allowed” such an interpretation to stand, during an unrelated court ruling, does not make it the law of the land. The 14th amendment was passed, in part, to give citizenship status to the children of slaves, born in this country. To try and use it to justify birthright citizenship, for anybody that just happens to be born here, is a complete bastardization of our court system.
How about E-Verify for welfare? Americans and LEGAL aliens wouldn’t be hurt by that, but it would get rid of a huge incentive for illegals to stay here even if unemployed.