Thread: Illegal aliens cost state $25M, Mississippi

February 25, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT
Illegal aliens cost state $25M

State auditor’s report called one-sided by critics

By Laura Hipp
lhipp@clarionledger.com
And Joshua Cogswell
jcogswell@clarionledger.com


State Auditor Phil Bryant estimates illegal immigrants cost Mississippi taxpayers $25 million annually for health care, education and prison costs, according to a report released Friday.

But immigrants' rights supporters say the report does not account for contributions to the economy post-Hurricane Katrina and call the report one-sided.

The only point on which both sides agree is that no accurate count of illegal immigrants exists, though some estimates top 100,000.

Bryant's report used a more conservative estimate of 49,000 people to arrive at a cost of providing social services to immigrants.

"When a cost is incurred by the state government, we at least need to know what those costs are," said Bryant, a Republican.

The report, prepared over three months, recommends that state agencies collect information about a person's legal status in the country to arrive at an accurate count. That number then could be used to apply for more federal dollars to pay for social services, he said.

Bryant recommends state and local law enforcement receive training through the Department of Homeland Security on how to identify and process immigrants.

Bryant asks hospitals, schools and the departments of Health and Human Services to assess the impact of illegal immigrants on infectious diseases.

Bill Chandler, president of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, said the report is a "racist attack on immigrants."

RECOMMENDATIONS

State Auditor Phil Bryant recommended action for agencies, lawmakers and local governments to assess the impact of illegal immigrants in Mississippi:


State agencies and schools should count illegal immigrants to gain a picture of how many are in Mississippi and the costs of using social services.


Legislature should pass Senate Bill 2433 allowing the state to cancel any contracts with companies that employ illegal immigrants.


Hospitals, schools and the departments of Health and Human Services should determine the impact of illegal immigrants on infectious diseases.


The Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement should track the apprehension of illegal immigrants.


Law enforcement should receive federal training for identifying and detaining illegal immigrants.


Lawmakers should ensure the state’s laws reflecting others in the region.

Source: Office of State Auditor




"This report is not based in fact," he said. "Immigrants are not the reason the state's not getting the money it should."

Rep. Mike Lott, R-Petal, said the report does not target one ethnicity.

"They're all races," Lott said. "It has everything to do with the word illegal."

Susan Rucker, assistant superintendent of the state Department of Education, said the state already keeps good track of immigrant children in Mississippi public schools because of the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

Rucker downplayed the impact immigrants have on the state's education system.

Less than 1 percent of students in the state are enrolled in English-language learning programs, Rucker said. Many of those are children of migrant, not immigrant, workers, she said.

Immigrant issues are catching more attention from state officials this year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. Since then, immigrants have arrived in south Mississippi looking for construction work.

The federal government even relaxed immigration laws so workers would help rebuild in this state of emergency, Bryant said.

Several immigration-related laws were introduced in the state Legislature this year. One has survived.

Senate Bill 2433 allows the state to cancel contracts if officials learn the company hires illegal immigrants. The measure is pending in a House committee.

"I do believe that is an important piece of legislation to protect the state," Bryant said. "We should have the right to terminate that contract. It keeps us in compliance with federal law."

Immigrants Rights Alliance administrator Sue Weishar said officials are not accounting for immigrants' contributions in rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

"There's not even a mention of what their sweat equity is doing to this state," she said.

Rep. Jim Ellington, R-Raymond, has seen the work on the Coast.

Ellington wants a better count of the immigrant population, but wants them to be able to work on the Coast. His house in Pass Christian was damaged and immigrants helped gut the building.

"We couldn't rebuild the Coast without them," he said. "I welcome them under legal conditions. They're doing a vital service on the Coast when there's no one there to do it."

Sister Pat Godri is a minister of a parish in Carthage that has a heavy immigrant population. About 600 of the 800 people who attend her church are from Latin American countries, she said.

If state agencies are given more freedom to ask questions about immigrants' status, Godri said, those immigrants would be less likely to use state services.

For instance, if the state would use the information to have them deported, illegal immigrants would be cautious about going to the hospital or putting their kids in school.

To Godri, that would be a shame.

"These people value the education their children receive here and would hate it if their children were not allowed to be in school," Godri said. "Medical attention is so critical, if they did not receive that, people would die."

Sen. Gloria Williamson, D-Philadelphia, said she has a large number of illegal immigrants in her community because of the chicken plants in her district.

She said illegal immigrants are a drain on the community's schools and hospitals.

But Williamson doesn't think immigrants should be penalized. Instead, she said, companies should be fined for hiring illegal immigrants.

"If the businesses would stop hiring them, they would stop coming over," Williamson said.

She doesn't find convincing the argument that businesses cannot find American workers to do that kind of work.

"They can't find anyone to do the work because they're not willing to pay a decent wage," Williamson said, also mentioning unsafe work conditions.

In the U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee Arlen Spector has proposed a bill that would require the millions of illegal immigrants who began work in this country in 2004 to obtain a new temporary worker status. But they could not become citizens or get permanent residence without going through the usual application process.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


IMMIGRANTS' IMPACT

Estimated financial impact of illegal immigrants on Mississippi. Lost sales tax revenue is the result of money sent to home countries and not spent in-state.

Estimated population 49,000
Contributions to state $44.2 million
Sales taxes paid $40.8 million
Income taxes paid $3.4 million
Costs on taxpayers $69.3 million
Education costs $23.7 million
Health-care costs $35 million
Public safety costs $237,360
Lost sales tax revenue $10.3 million


Source: Office of State Auditor

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... /602250374

My Note, this doesn't enclude lost wages to American Citizens.

25 million is way too low.

W