Illegal immigrants cost Chesterfield government an estimated $2.09 million in fiscal 2006, according to a report issued this afternoon by the county.

The report comes more than one year after county supervisors first asked for an analysis of how much government money is spent on illegal immigrants. An initial report released last August did not include estimated costs for services provided to the illegal immigrant community.

The new nine-page document indicates that much of the costs are incurred by police, courts and prosecutors, jail and health and social service agencies. But the report notes there isn't much Chesterfield can do to prevent spending tax dollars on those services.

"These costs are for informational purposes only in that the county would be legally prohibited from withholding the services noted regardless of the cost," it reads.

The numbers in the report do not include the costs to educate children of undocumented residents in county schools. Federal law mandates public education, regardless of legal status in this country.

It remains unclear how the county Board of Supervisors will use data in the report, which contains several recommendations on other ways to address illegal immigrant issues and notes that county law enforcement already works with federal immigration officials to turn over undocumented residents when they are arrested.

For more on this story, see tomorrow's Times-Dispatch.

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