Kansas lawmakers scale back audit on illegal immigrants’ effect
September 17, 2008

By DAVID KLEPPER

The Star’s Topeka correspondent
TOPEKA | Kansas lawmakers on Wednesday scaled back efforts to learn the true effect of illegal immigration in Kansas.

Lawmakers who have been grappling with the contentious issue had asked state auditors to provide hard numbers on the costs and benefits of illegal immigrants to state government and the economy. But lawmakers who oversee the auditors said Wednesday that there’s not enough data available to draw firm conclusions.

Instead, the committee asked for a compilation of existing reports on illegal immigration to create a primer for lawmakers who expect to wrestle with the issue for years to come.

Earlier this year, lawmakers failed to pass immigration reforms in the face of disagreements on what to do and pressure from powerful industry lobbyists.

Before adjourning in May, lawmakers called on state auditors to conduct a thorough investigation to find out how much illegal immigrants cost the state in law enforcement, social services and health care; how much they contribute in taxes and economic activity, and their impact on jobs and wages.

But auditors said there was so little data on the subject that an audit would be rife with assumptions and best guesses.

Some agencies do not track who receives their services, and it is hard to gauge the percentage of taxes paid by illegal immigrants, let alone how much they help the economy through their labor. Even the number of illegal immigrants in Kansas would be an estimate.

Frustrated, lawmakers said a collection of national studies on immigration’s effects, along with some state agency reports, will have to suffice.

“The info we’re going to get is probably going to be inaccurate, and it’s going to be very difficult to nail down,â€