The Cost of Doing Nothing

Drew Emmer brought us the nuts and bolts of Governor Pawlenty's announcement last night and since then the usual suspects have railed against the move. However here are a few facts that our friends on Portland Avenue refuse to tell you.

Illegal Immigrants cost more money than they bring in.

A study by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday backs up the view that undocumented immigrants sap more tax dollars than they provide, especially in education, health care and law enforcement...The report estimates there are 12 million undocumented immigrants nationwide. Of those, 60 percent are uninsured and 50 percent of the children are uninsured. Again using 2004 statistics from the Pew Hispanic Center the average income of undocumented immigrants was $27,400 while Americans earned $47,800. The difference puts undocumented immigrants in a lower tax bracket, thus reducing the amount of federal and state income taxes generated.
The study also showed that while undocumented workers represented just 5 percent of state and federal service costs, their tax revenue did not offset the amount spent by government. The authors of the study stated that, "the general consensus is that unauthorized immigrants impose a net cost on state and local budgets. However, no agreement exists as to the size of, or even the best way of measuring, that cost at a national level."

The report goes on to state (with documentation) that the cost of educating the influx of children who do not speak English is 20-40% higher than the cost educating the average American child. Given the numbers that I saw this last year out of my school district (where we do not have a huge ESL population) I can believe that. Our ESL instruction costs have gone through the roof!

Then there is the cost to our health care system. In this CNN interview, medical attorney Madeleine Cosman talks about the damage that is being done to the health care system. A more in-depth article, complete with footnotes tells the tale in greater detail.

Horrendous diseases that long ago America had conquered are resurging. Horrific diseases common in Third World poverty and medical ignorance suddenly are appearing in American emergency rooms and medical offices. Along with the visible invasion of Illegal Aliens across our borders is an invisible invasion of deadly diseases.[4]
Many illegals who skulk across our borders have tuberculosis (TB). That disease had disappeared from America thanks to excellent hygiene and powerful modern drugs such as Isoniazid and Rifampin.[5] ,[6] ,[7] ,[8] ,[9] ,[10] TB’s swift, deadly return now is lethal for about 60% of those infected. The culprit is the new Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB).[11] Until recently MDR-TB was endemic to Mexico.[12] ,[13]
The mycobacterium tuberculosis is resistant to at least two major TB drugs. Ordinary TB usually is cured in six months with four drugs (that cost about $2000). MDR-TB takes 24 months with many expensive drugs with toxic side effects (that cost around $250,000).[14] ,[15] Each Illegal Alien with MDR-TB coughs and infects numerous people who will not show symptoms immediately. Latent disease explodes later, like a time bomb.
TB was virtually absent in Virginia until in 2002 it spiked a 17% increase, but Prince William County, not far from Washington, D.C., had a meteoric rise of 188%.
Public health officials blamed immigrants. Indiana School of Medicine in 2001 studied an outbreak of MDR-TB traced to illegal aliens from Mexico.

According to the group Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal immigration costs the state of Minnesota $345 million today and that cost could jump to over half a billion dollars in 2 short years! UPDATE - SCSU Scholar King B. directs me to a more level headed report on the current costs of illegal immigration in Minnesota. The real cost (according to the State of Minnesota is closer to $148-$188 million. Thanks King!

Contrary to what our friend Nick Coleman says, there are real reasons to crack down on illegal immigration. We have roads and bridges that need repair. We have failing inner city schools that need help, we have other priorities that all need to be addressed. That $345 million could help a lot of legal immigrants assimilate and become productive members of society.
The bottom line is, enforcing our immigration laws will do more to make life better for every Minnesotan. We need to look at the big picture and the big picture is illegal immigration makes life worse for everyone.

Welcome PIM readers.