Rising Tide, Rising Burden
by Michelle Oddis, humanevents.com
11/30/2007
The immigrant population has hit its highest number in 80 years at 37.9 million according to an analysis of 2007 Census Bureau data on legal and illegal immigration, released Thursday by the Center for Immigration Studies.
The study’s data are compelling: in the seven years of the Bush administration, immigration -- especially illegal immigration -- has grown hugely, imposing a burden on the U.S. economy it may not long be able to sustain.
The Current Population Study (CPS) conducted by Steven Camarota, an advocate of limiting immigration and director of the Center for Immigration Studies, shows that between 2000 and 2007 the immigrant population rose by 7.3 million or 1.04 million per year, and that one in three immigrants is an illegal alien.
Particularly interesting is CPS’ analysis of legal and illegal immigrants accepting government assistance, illustrating growing economic burdens on U.S. taxpayers. The CPS found that 33% of immigrant-headed households use at least one welfare program compared to 19% for natives.
Government welfare programs cost the government about $600 billion a year, reports Camarota. Unskilled legal immigrants (defined as in not having completed high school) make the most use of the welfare system, an estimated 56% of households headed by unskilled legal immigrants use one major welfare program (cash assistance, food assistance, subsidized housing and Medicaid). Camarota told HUMAN EVENTS that the $600 billion is a rough total for federal, state and local payouts, though most of the amount is taken from federal welfare and entitlement programs.
The CPS notes that in most cases illegals can not use the welfare system themselves -- but their U.S. born children are eligible for food assistance and Medicaid. New York had the highest rate of illegal alien headed households using major welfare programs with 49%, then California at 48% and Texas at 44%. Overall 40% of illegals in the nation are on welfare.
The study showed that unskilled legal immigrants have high percentages of health insurance coverage, Camarota says this is because “a large share of unskilled legal immigrants and their children use Medicaid which is costly to taxpayers.”
Camarota says this indicates that legalization will not solve the problems of welfare use or low income associated with illegal immigration. In fact, legalization (amnesty) will increase welfare programs.
The burden also falls on state and local education systems. The CIS found that “immigration accounts for virtually all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the last two decades and in 2007 alone there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States.”
Law makers and pundits remind Americans of the economic benefits of illegal immigration but what about the growing burdens this survey presents?
In 2008, Americans will demand straight answers from candidates on how they will secure the borders and deal with illegal immigration. Voters will make it impossible for candidates to evade or equivocate. How will they secure the borders? And by what measures will they claim success or failure? We deserve to get straight answers from them all.
Miss Oddis is news producer for HUMAN EVENTS. E-mail her at moddis@eaglepub.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reader Comments(132)
Here are a few of the comments submitted by our readers:
--Years ago I could go visit cities like Houston and Los Angeles and I might see or hear on TV or Radio a few Hispanic channels. Now, I'd be willing to bet that up to 50 percent of the channels are in Spanish. I watched the debate the other night and I still did not get the sense that any of them, other than the second tier candidates, were willing to do the nasty and necessary job of securing our borders. My vote will hinge on this single issue. The candidate who strikes me as the most determined to get it done and, at the same time, do some unpopular things doing so will get it. I can only hope....Cool Hand Luke
--Hey America, just shut up and pay your taxes. Trust that the elected representatives you send to local,state and federal offices to take care of you and your families are "on the job". If you really think that way, then just shut up, stop whining and pay your taxes. If not, say or write something to someone about it....Ed, Virginia
--The elites in DC, Wall Street and Hollyweird don't care about it because they are rich and insulated from the effects of millions of law-breaking, identity stealing, social security fraud illegal aliens. Mexico is a highly corrupt country. It's only solution is to send TENS OF MILLIONS peasants north to work illegally and send money back to Mexico. How pathetic.
Jay |
