Thread: Cutting services to illegal immigrants isn’t easy SDUT

Cutting services to illegal immigrants isn’t easy

By Michael Gardner
Originally published April 19, 2011 at 2:23 p.m., updated April 19, 2011 at 7:21 p.m.

About this series

State Budget Watch is a project to give readers a deeper understanding of the scope, impact and reasons behind California’s fiscal problems, and to explore the stakes involved in potential solutions. The project includes Sacramento reporters Michael Gardner of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Brian Joseph of the Orange County Register and editor Daniel Weintraub of California Health Report, a website that focuses on health and public policy issues in the state.

Sacramento — As Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers wrestle with the state budget crisis, some Californians say that much of the problem can be laid at the feet of people who are in the country illegally.

Their message is: stop teaching the kids, cutoff welfare checks and ship the prisoners back home.

Billions of dollars spent on services could be put to work cutting the deficit, they say, paying for vital programs and keeping tax increases at bay.

But that’s easier said than done.

Court rulings require California to teach every child regardless of citizenship. Ditto for treating emergency cases in the hospital. All children born in this country are citizens, so counties are required to provide cash aid and other services, even if their parents are here illegally. And the federal government has been pretty stingy when it comes to reimbursing states for the rising tab, even though immigration is a federal responsibility.

California is home to more undocumented immigrants than any other state. There were nearly 2.6 million here in 2010, according to the Department of Homeland Security. More than half are from Mexico.

With so many here, there is certainly a case to be made that taxpayers cover billions of dollars in illegal immigrant costs, mostly for classrooms, hospitals and prisons.

But there also is a case to be made that, while here, many illegal immigrants pay into the system, including sales, property and income taxes. Many paychecks are docked for Social Security that likely will never be collected.

There have been a handful of comparative studies, but none has been received as definitive.

The conservative-leaning Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that California’s bill is $21.75 billion when accounting for all state and federal spending.

In California, a study by the nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst was not as broad, keeping its research focused on the state’s largest program costs.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office pegs the state’s costs at $4.2 billion. But even then, some information is imprecise, mostly because accurate figures are hard to come by and the report’s reach was limited. That figure doesn’t include any offset of taxes they may pay.

The state faces a deficit of about $15.4 billion, with a general fund of $85 billion.

Deputy Legislative Analyst Dan Carson, who tracks the issue, said it is impossible to pinpoint how much could be saved, given legal constraints.

In many instances “you need federal and courtâ€

Major state costs of illegal immigration

A study by the California Legislative Analyst was based on 2008-2009 data.

• K-12 Schools: $1.9 billion.

• Prisons: $1 billion, but the federal government reimbursed just $100 million of that.

• Medical services: $775 million.

• Cash assistance for children: $670 million. (Through counties, the state helped about 230,000 children who were citizens even though the parents were not authorized to be in the U.S.)

• Higher education: “Tens of millions of dollars.â€

Some lawmakers believe the state exaggerates the barriers to taking action — mostly to avoid riling a huge Latino constituency.

They aren't "constituents" if they are illegal foreign nationals, because supposedly they can't vote. And the anchor babies are only allowed to vote as adults, because the 14th amendment has been misinterpreted and misapplied. Another example of the problem with the anchor babies.

Reminds me of Proposition 187 which the voters passed but was overturned by a judge. That was my first awareness of how the system can easily overturn the will of the electorate, a real eye-opener.

Seems common sense, to me, that if a state or country keeps allowing lower income people in there will be an imbalance of tax takers vs tax payers.

Bottom line seems to be Dems want votes and Reps want cheap labor and that is why our immigration laws haven't been enforced. Consequently the taxpayers lose imo.

Yeah, states legalize medical marijuana. No problem! Possession of marijuana is illegal......Federal Law........ But now... Smoking dope is
a non issue for states that pass medical marijuana laws.
But the Fed sues states that crack down on illegal immigration and
the rape, murder, fraud, more crimes, assaults, and economic crisis
caused by illegal aliens!
Guess they figure us law abiding conservatives start getting high
we just sit back and???????DUDE!!!!Puff..Pufff...OBAMA pays my bills.....
WHAT??/????GOLD $5000.00 WOW! One time I made that a month!...!
Wow...PUFF...PUFF!!!! What day is it???
We have a crack head administration and lets head them off at the pass!

“you need federal and courtâ€

It'd be a whole lot easier with 99.9% compliance if the illegal alien supporters would have to pay for every single thing that illegal aliens and their children (including legal children - aka - anchor babies) use out of their own pocketbooks/wages, with not one single red cent coming out of taxpayer funds.

Make that the law and I'll bet the title of this article would change to - Cutting Services to Illegal Immigrants is Easy!

Even using E-Verify to push them out of jobs won't necessarily work. They will simply collect more benefits on behalf of their jackpot babies and live work-free courtesy U.S. taxpayers.

[quote="airdale"] . . . “you need federal and courtâ€

its as easy as anyone wants to make it.

do a background check on everyone who files for state and federal monies.
if they are here illegally, they automatically get denied unless they can provide PROOF

Unless we change federal laws anchor baby citizens qualify for benefits
but they can't give the check to a child
so the illegal alien parent gets the kids check.