Thread: Illegal Immigrants boost economy, drain services

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/16189877.htm

Study: Illegal immigrants boost economy, drain servicesBy JOHN MORITZ
STAR-TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU

AUSTIN — Undocumented immigrants pumped nearly $18 billion into the Texas economy last year and sent $420 million more to Austin in taxes than they received in state services, a report released Thursday by the state comptroller’s office shows.

The report, believed to be the first ever to calculate the cost of illegal immigration to a U.S. state, also found that local governments pay far more to provide services to the undocumented than they recoup in taxes, fees and other revenue sources.

“I was surprised by these findings myself,” said Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who will leave office next month after two terms as the state’s top finance official. “But there is little doubt that if we took undocumented immigrants out of the work force, $17.7 billion would disappear from the Texas economy.”

Strayhorn said that Texas’ tax structure, which places levies on consumption but not on income, makes it virtually impossible for undocumented immigrants to avoid paying state taxes. And in addition to paying sales tax, undocumented immigrants also purchase lottery tickets and pay motor fuels taxes, property taxes and other government levies, the report shows.

Further, illegal immigrants do not qualify for such state-backed services as food stamps, traditional Medicaid, public housing or cash assistance, Strayhorn said.

But that does not mean that immigrants who enter Texas illegally do not receive any government services. Some can qualify for emergency Medicaid services for childbirth or life-threatening ailments. Others are treated without reimbursement by public hospitals and clinics. And still others are incarcerated in county jails and state prisons for breaking the law after entering the country illegally.

The report’s finding that undocumented immigrants are an economic plus to Texas was greeted with skepticism by Cathie Adams, who heads the Texas Eagle Forum and has urged officials at all levels of government to implement policies that would clamp down on illegal immigration.

“I believe that the preparers of that report have totally lost track of reality,” Adams said. “There is no question in my mind that illegal aliens are a burden to taxpayers, especially middle-class taxpayers. There is an immeasurable amount of spending that is taking place to provide these folks with healthcare, education and all the rest.”

Austin activist Ana Yanez Correa, who organized rallies in the spring across the state on behalf of immigrants’ rights, said the report confirms what she has been saying since the immigration issue reached a rolling boil early in the year.

“The undocumented people who are here are working, they are contributing to the economy,” she said. “They are not here getting food stamps and all these government benefits. Even if they wanted to, the law does not allow them to.”

The 21-page report said that putting an exact dollar figure on the impact of illegal immigration was difficult because of the complexities of measuring that population. But it estimates that they contribute nearly $1.6 billion in revenues to the state, while using nearly $1.2 billion in services, a difference of about $420 million.

Public schools are forbidden to ask about a student’s citizenship status, and adults do not fill out federal census reports. But the report estimated that educating undocumented students from kindergarten through high school costs $957 million last year.

Robert Earley, senior vice president for public affairs at Fort Worth’s John Peter Smith Hospital, said it was equally difficult to measure the cost of providing healthcare for undocumented immigrants.

The public hospital system that serves Tarrant County does not require proof of citizenship as a condition of care if the patient pays for the service or has insurance.

“Undocumented does not mean indigent,” Earley said.

A person must be a legal resident to receive charity care except in emergencies, he said. The hospital also provides care at no cost to people with low or no income who are pregnant or in a school-based health program. JPS is currently conducting a study to determine if the cost of treating non-citizens can be measured, Earley said.

Terry Grisham, a spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department, said it is also difficult to determine how many undocumented immigrants cycle through the county jail because there is no verification of citizenship.

“Every day, someone from the Border Patrol comes through the jail to see who’s eligible for deportation,” Grisham said. “If they’re in for public intoxication or some other crime without an actual victim, we hand them over. But if they’re in for something like murder, we’re going to keep and put them on trial.

“They can have them after they’ve served their sentences.”

To view the full report, go to www.cpa.state.tx.us


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John Moritz, 512-476-4294
jmoritz@star-telegram.com

Do we have an analyst on board that can make since of this report and shorten it up for us. Is she attempting to prove the FAIR report wrong or give us a real attempt at an honest report?

To view the full report, go to www.cpa.state.tx.us