Factoids That You Can Use

While the nation's spotlight has been focused on Arizona, the influx of illegal immigration is quietly swamping state resources in Texas. According to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies, there are an estimated 1.7 million undocumented aliens residing in the Lone Star state. By their estimates, illegal immigrants make up eight to nine percent of the Texas workforce. The cost to state government is a reported $4.7 billion, which includes expenses for education, medical care and incarceration. Those figures were compiled by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The organization calculated that it costs each Texas taxpaying household $725 per year to foot the bill. The breakdown of costs shows spending for educating the children of illegal immigrants costs the state $4 billion; the tab for medical care is $520 million; and, incarceration for lawbreakers works out to $150 million annually. Even those staggering figures are on the low side. The $4.7 billion does not include costs for local jail detention, increased law enforcement and judicial expenses, welfare benefits and special English instruction in schools. Likewise, it does not take into account the monetary cost of crime on law-abiding citizens. It's no wonder that states that border Mexico are calling on the federal government to step up enforcement to stem the tide of illegal immigrants flooding into the United States. Unless something changes, the soaring costs of illegal immigration will force more states to do like Arizona and tackle the issue head on, rather than penning their hopes on federal government solutions.