Saturday, March 10, 2007
Last modified Saturday, March 10, 2007 7:30 PM PST

Flawed studies ignore real impact of illegal immigration

By: DENNIS HOLLINGSWORTH - Commentary

Recently, two lengthy immigration studies were released that made headlines across California for their unbelievable claims made by the authors on the impact of illegal immigration in our state.

These so-called immigration experts at the Public Policy Institute of California and the Immigration Policy Center came to the misguided conclusion that illegal immigrants living in California actually help American workers earn higher wages, and break fewer laws than other demographic groups in our state.

When asked about his conclusions, the co-author of one of the reports, Ruben Rumbaut, told a newspaper that he hoped his work would "reduce prejudice" ---- thereby admitting his research is politically biased. The conclusions drawn by Mr. Rumbaut and his colleagues are clearly motivated much more by partisan politics than by an honest look at the effect of illegal immigration on jobs, schools, highways, hospitals and jails.

Perhaps illegal immigration is not a problem for liberal politicians or college professors, but a closer look at the statistics in our community tells a different story. Make no mistake, hardworking taxpayers across San Diego are struggling to endure the impact of illegal immigration every day, and it's time to take action to secure our borders.

In a 2005 report, researchers at the international asset management and investment firm Bear Stearns estimated that as many as 20 million illegal immigrants live in the United States, roughly 40 percent of whom are thought to live in California. It simply defies logic for the Public Policy Institute to claim that immigrant workers, most of whom work very long hours at back-breaking jobs for low wages, are not adversely affecting opportunity and prosperity for American workers.

When it comes to immigrants and crime in California, the facts speak for themselves. A 2001 study from the International Population Center at San Diego State University found that San Diego taxpayers spend a whopping $50.3 million every year just to arrest, jail and prosecute illegal immigrants and provide them with emergency medical care.

Statewide, the numbers are even more alarming. Recent figures from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found that illegal immigrants comprise over 11 percent of the inmate population at prison facilities across the state. These undocumented criminals are adding to an overcrowding problem that has prompted an irresponsible movement for the early release of dangerous criminals.

Even worse, California will spend upward of $750 million this year to process and house illegal immigrants who commit crimes in California, costs that are supposed to be reimbursed to the state treasury under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. Unfortunately, we receive only pennies on the dollar back from the federal government, leaving state taxpayers stuck footing the bill for Washington's inability to protect our borders and keep Californians safe. We hope our bipartisan congressional delegation can work together to change that in the months ahead.

But the problems with illegal immigrants and crime are not just confined to our jails and prisons, they are being played out in our neighborhoods every day. In 2004, the North County Gang Task Force reported arresting 408 gang members who committed crimes in our community. Of that total, 260 were illegals!

We will never forget the brutal murder of our local hero Tony Zeppetella, the Oceanside police officer, husband and father who stopped a twice-deported illegal alien for a traffic violation and was gunned down in cold blood. We would invite the authors of the studies to tell the loved ones Officer Zeppetella left behind that illegal immigrants don't commit violent crimes in California.

Ideologues like Mr. Rumbaut may use name-calling; there is no doubt that it's time for lawmakers to get serious about reducing the impact of illegal immigration in our state. The burden of illegal immigration on California taxpayers is wrong. It's destructive, it undermines our economy, and it forces all of us to pay more in taxes for programs and services for those who are here illegally.

In the coming months, we hope Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature can work together to set aside politics as usual and focus on securing our borders, reducing the number of illegals in California and helping state and local governments deal with the financial impact of illegal immigrants in our communities.

Above all else, we hope our colleagues will be motivated to act based on the real world experiences of Californians affected by rampant illegal border crossings, not on flawed studies driven by a political agenda that ignores the real experiences of San Diegans in coping with illegal immigration.

Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, represents the 36th Senate District, which runs from Murrieta in the north to Rancho Bernardo and Mission Valley in the south. Sen. Mark Wyland, R-Carlsbad, represents the 38th Senate District, which covers most of North County, including Camp Pendleton, and parts of southern Orange County. Assemblyman Martin Garrick, R-Carlsbad, represents the 74th Assembly District, which includes Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Vista and portions of Escondido, Oceanside, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego and San Marcos. Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Murrieta, represents the 66th Assembly District, which stretches from the southern outskirts of Riverside through western Corona and Lake Elsinore to take in the entire communities of Murrieta, Temecula and Fallbrook, and parts of Bonsall, Valley Center and Ramona. Assemblyman George Plescia, R-La Jolla, represents the 75th Assembly District, which includes parts of Escondido, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Del Mar and San Diego.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03 ... _10_07.txt