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Report: Illegal immigrants are boon to economy |
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Written by From asap
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Sunday, 17 December 2006 |
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A report by the top financial officer of Texas is adding another layer to the immigration reform debate.
WHAT THE REPORT SAYS
Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn found that illegal immigrants not only contributed more than $17 billion to the state's economy in the last fiscal year, but that they also pay more than enough in taxes and fees to cover the services they receive.
HAILED AND PANNED
The report — billed as the first comprehensive analysis by any state financial officer — is being hailed by immigrants' rights groups and panned by foes who question its methodology and contend it was politically motivated.
Strayhorn just lost a bitter battle for governor after running as an independent and has been accused of manipulating state data to make Republican Gov. Rick Perry look bad. Nevertheless, her findings could inject new life in the debate over a national guest worker program, which has stalled despite support from President Bush.
NUMBERS
There are an estimated 1.4 million illegal immigrants living or working in Texas, more than any state but California.
Estimates of their impact on the Texas economy have varied widely.
Strayhorn's report said they added $17.7 billion to the gross state product in fiscal year 2005 and produced $1.58 billion in revenues by paying taxes and fees and by playing the lottery. They received $1.16 billion in state services, the report said.
WHAT OTHER REPORTS SAY
The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which supports tougher border security and an end to illegal immigration, estimated illegal immigration costs Texas $3.7 billion a year. The conservative Lone Star Foundation came up with a similar number in a June report.
WHY THE DIFFERENCE?
In her report, Strayhorn said her estimates differed from the federation's for several reasons. She did not, for example, count the cost of educating the American-born children of undocumented parents.
Calculating the impact of illegal immigrants is "at best an educated guess," she said in the report. | Only registered users can write comments.
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