Thread: SAN DIEGO SUPERVISORS VOTE TO SEND BUSH IMMIGRATION A BILL

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Supervisors vote to send Bush immigration a 'bill'

By: GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer
September 25, 2007 9:52 PM PDT

County study says illegal immigrants cost taxpayers $101 million in 2006

SAN DIEGO -- County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to send President Bush a $101 million bill to reimburse county taxpayers for what a county-commissioned study stated illegal immigrants cost them last year.

Supervisors said they had taken similar actions before, sending "illegal immigrant" bills to the federal government in 1994 and 2001. Those bills were ignored, and were seen largely as symbolic gestures.

However, Supervisor Bill Horn, who pushed hard for the county study that was released two weeks ago -- and other supervisors, said it was time to seek reimbursement again because the federal government has not stopped illegal immigrants from crossing the border and using services that taxpayers pay for.

Armed with the study, supervisors specifically voted to enlist the help of Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, to promote legislation that would:

make it easier for local law enforcement officials to track illegal immigrants wanted for crimes;

change the Medicare Modernization Act to pay local hospitals $155 million for unpaid bills from illegal immigrants;

make the federal government pay local governments from the Social Security fund into which people pay but do not collect, often because they have worked using phony Social Security documents. Reports have estimated that illegal immigrants pay $7 billion in taxes into that fund each year.

Local governments in border states have said for years that the federal government's failure to stop illegal immigration has cost them billions of taxpayer dollars in services rendered.

The county study, which supervisors voted to pursue in May 2006, was largely based upon anecdotal information rather than solid statistics. It did not attempt to quantify potential economic benefits that illegal immigrants might provide.

Horn said he asked for the new study so the county could get a picture of what illegal immigrants cost local taxpayers.

He said Tuesday that he did not intend for the board's vote to be a symbolic gesture, even though previous "illegal immigration bills" sent by the county to the federal government in 1994 and 2001 have not been paid.

"I don't want to just grandstand, I really want the money this time," Horn said. "The bottom line is the county of San Diego's taxpayers are bearing an unfair burden for porous border. It's the federal government's job to enforce the border, and if they refuse to do it ... I think they should face the consequences of their action."

Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Bilbray, said by telephone Tuesday that although the congressman was not currently sponsoring legislation that would address the county's request, he intended to do so. Bilbray said in a written statement Tuesday that he was "eager" to work with Horn for reimbursement.

Bilbray, who was once a San Diego County supervisor, is chairman of the immigration reform caucus, a group of more than 100 congressional representatives who favor stricter immigration enforcement legislation.

San Diego State University professor John Weeks helped compile and write the study for the county. As he wrote in the study, Weeks told supervisors Tuesday that illegal immigrants do contribute to communities in a variety of ways by spending money and providing services.

But, he said Tuesday, they were unlikely to generate much property-tax revenue that makes up the majority of the county's spending money.

"Working undocumented immigrants make an economic contribution," Weeks said. "But the issue for this board is that it is very unlikely that they put back into county coffers the amount of money that is spent providing services to them or on their behalf."

No one came forward to criticize the study at Tuesday's meeting. The American Friends Service Committee -- a Quaker human rights organization -- has said it was afraid it would promote "anti-immigrant sentiment."

Weeks said the study used interviews with county department heads to suggest that roughly 10 percent of their annual budgets were spent on services for illegal immigrants.

The study suggested that those costs amounted to $101 million in 2006, three-quarters of which was used for criminal justice costs, such as jailing and prosecuting. Remaining costs were spent on health, social services and other programs.

The study did not account for the costs of education or unpaid medical bills for illegal immigrants, although it used estimates from the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties to come up with its figure of $155 million in unpaid medical care costs.

Other supervisors said it was time for the federal government to pay up.

"It's outrageous to say the least," Supervisor Dianne Jacob said. "Inexcusable."

-- Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/09 ... ogcomments

Good for them!!!!!!!!

Dixie

Excellent idea! Now if we can get every US county to do the same and then calculate a total from all submissions, we might even discover that the figure is equal to or surpasses the current national debt!