Immigrant economy

Experts debate illegal immigration’s effect on state budget, resources

By:
Derek Quizon
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

In the midst of the latest Congressional push for immigration reform, the debate over illegal immigration is becoming more heated than ever before. This is the second of a three-part series on illegal immigration in Arizona and its effects on the state, the economy and the University.


At the heart of the immigration debate is the dispute over whether illegal immigrants drain resources or are important contributors to society — whether the benefits they provide are worth the cost of educating, medicating and, in some cases, incarcerating them.

The most common argument for increased enforcement is that illegal immigrants — the Pew Hispanic Center estimates there are about 500,000 in Arizona — use social services funded by taxpayer money, resources many say should be reserved for citizens and legal residents.

“Immigration [reform] policy is basically population-increase policy,â€