ARIZONA SENATE COMMITTEE TO HEAR ILLEGAL SANCTUARY POLICIES AND COST TO ARIZONA CITIZENS; PEARCE VOWS TO ELIMINATE ALL SANCTUARY POLICIES

States News Service
May 15, 2009 Friday

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX

The following information was released by the Arizona State Legislature, Senate Republicans:

According to research,* i llegal immigration costs Arizona nearly $3 billion per year. T he annual cost to provide education alone to illegal aliens is nearly $1 billion. Other soaring costs include incarcerating and providing medical care for illegal aliens. The cost in suppressed wages is $1.4 billion. The cost for border counties to enforce laws related to and prosecute illegal immigration is $26 million. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is holding a special meeting on these monumental costs of illegal sanctuary policies to our state.

"I cannot stand by and be a spectator to the death, maiming or damage to another police officer, citizen or taxpayer by an illegal alien because we refuse to enforce our laws and fail to put America and Americans First," Pearce said. "The costs of these crimes are far more than financial to our citizens and we need to eliminate all sanctuary policies."

WHAT:

This special Senate Appropriations Committee meeting addresses the costs to Arizonans of illegal sanctuary policies. It will include testimony from three panels: national and local experts in the field of immigration policy and sanctuary cities; family members of crime victims of illegal immigrants; and public officials who support sanctuary policies.

WHO:

Sen. Russell Pearce, Senate Appropriations Committee chairman and members

Panel #1 : National and local e xperts in immigration policy and sanctuary cities

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu

Mark Spencer, Phoenix Law Enforcement Agency

Mike Hethmon, Immigration Reform Law Institute

Bob Hartle, ID Theft Services, Inc.

Damon Jordan, National Border Patrol Council

Panel #2: Victims of crimes of illegal aliens

Ed Kowalski, Victims of 9-11 Families

Albert Hernandez

Lina Rott

Phoenix Police Officer Bret Glidewell

Maricopa County Sheriff Deputy Sean Pearce

Bob Miller, father of slain son Chris Miller

Barbara March, mother of slain Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff David March

Houston Police Officer Joslyn Johnson, wife of slain Houston Police Officer Rodney Johnson

Anita Shaw, mother of 17-year-old Jamel Shaw, star athlete in Los Angeles

Panel #3: Public officials who support sanctuary policies (Members of this panel have not responded to the invitation to attend.)

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon

Mesa Police Chief George Gascon

Acting Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox

WHEN:

9 a.m. Thursday, May 21, 2009

(This will also air live on Arizona Capitol Television, Cox channel 123; it will also stream live on www.azleg.gov, where archives are also posted for viewing.)

WHERE:

Arizona State Senate, hearing room 1

1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Ariz.

*Statistics from FAIR, Borjas and U of A reports.

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