Negative Effects of the Government Funding of Illegal Immigrants | Eastern North Carolina Now

     The government funding of illegal immigrants, that don't claim U.S. residency nor pay taxes, is adding to the nation's debt. Millions of U.S. dollars go to help illegal immigrants pay for k-12 and secondary education (some even pay in-state tuition for college) as well as their welfare, Medicaid and other social services due to a lack of verification. Helping to finance illegal immigrants in a time of economic crisis is further putting the country in debt. Some undocumented immigrants do pay taxes out of pay checks (with fake social security numbers) and state taxes from purchases at the store. This is thought to counterbalance the burden of educational costs, but is actually far from it. Illegal immigrants should not receive government funding when America is already in a financial crisis.

     Secondary education benefits such as in-state tuition and grants going to illegal immigrants are costing American citizens millions. It has come to be that, in many states across the country, if a person meets the state's requirements for residency, they can qualify for in-state tuition. It's improbable for someone who has an illegal status to be eligible for essentially a tuition discount for in-state residents when they're not even a legal resident of the country. Peter Kirsanov, a member of the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, asserts that the primary reason for in-state tuition is that the student's parents generally have been paying taxes for the past 18 years, providing revenue for the state's college, yet in some states illegal immigrants can become eligible for residency and in-state tuition rates within two or three years. Out-of-state tuition can be triple that of in-state tuition cost, resulting in a huge loss for the state; "according to the Congressional Budget Office, making illegal alien students eligible for federal tuition assistance through Pell grants would have cost $195 million in 2003 and $362 million over the 2003-2006 period" (Martin). The hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars being lost through tuition discounts and other financial assistance are also accompanied by the illegal loans that were made that attribute to the nation's economic crisis.

     Fraudulent loans and mortgages had a large impact in the downfall of the nation's economy. When the housing industry fell and the stock market crashed many people lost their homes and other assets due to foreclosure and lack of payments on their loans. A large percentage of those who became victim to the crisis were immigrants. Many lenders were making it easy for illegal immigrants to obtain loans and mortgages by not requiring much documentation. Lankford found that "the defrauders manufactured and submitted false employment and income documentation for borrowers; most were illegal immigrants from Mexico. To date, the FBI reported, 'Fifty-eight loans with a total value of $6.2 million have gone into default, with a loss to the Housing and Urban Development Department of over $1.9 million". The lenders share blame with immigrants for this impact, since most of them knew they were committing fraud. The desire to increase business, obtaining which through illegal measures, has ultimately been the downfall of the United States economy. Immigration has not only had an effect on the economy on society in many other ways too.

     Illegal immigration largely affects the quality, human capital, and the prosperity of the United States, particularly in California. When immigrants come in and already have a learned skill and some education, naturally it would have a positive impact on the societies that they move to. When people come into any country or new area and have little skill and/ or education, then of course the society will be impacted negatively. If a family is of an illegal status and low income, their children and future generations tend to stay at that same level. Generally, at low income levels they can apply for funding such as Medicaid and welfare programs. A large percentage of Latinos (w/ illegal status) even drop out of school before graduating high school, which further continues the trend of needing government support. Alexiev reports that in one study it was found that "69 percent of Latino high-school graduates don't meet college requirements or satisfy prerequisites for most jobs that pay a living wage". There has also been claims and studies that show that over half of Los Angeles' Hispanic population fall in this category and contribute to the "underground economy". An increase in the state's illegal activity has resulted in positive human capital moving to other states thus resulting in the downfall of California's overall quality and competitiveness. Also, adult literacy has taken a shocking drop in recent years. In fact, "in 2003, it had the highest adult illiteracy in the United States, 23 percent-nearly 50 percent higher than a decade earlier. In some counties (Imperial at 41 percent, Los Angeles at 33 percent) illiteracy approaches sub-Saharan levels" (Alexiev). If a person doesn't have the capability to read and write, then they cannot be expected to contribute to society or become prosperous. The impact of adult illiteracy is very detrimental to society, the costs of educating children from these home situations is even more so.

     Funding education at K-12 levels is also adding to state deficits across the country. For the majority of children/ students who have either come with their parents illegally or were born in America, they cannot speak much, if any, English. The cost to the taxpayers alone for "the total K-12 school expenditure for illegal immigrants costs the states nearly $12 billion annually, and when the children born here to illegal aliens are added, the costs more than double to $28.6 billion" (Martin). The resulting special programs for these children add an additional burden both financially and in the general learning environment. For students that don't speak fluent English, "a recent study found that dual language programs represent an additional expense of $290 to $879 per pupil depending on the size of the class. In addition, because these children of illegal aliens come from families that are most often living in poverty, there is also a major expenditure for them on supplemental feeding programs in the schools" (Martin). It has been found that the education of non-speaking immigrants cost the nation millions in multiple ways; yet it has been argued that illegal immigrants are not hindering the U.S. economy because they do in fact pay, some, taxes.

     Some people argue that illegal immigrants pay taxes and cannot receive benefits of retirement and Medicare, thus not imposing on the U.S. economy, but in fact helping it. When providing false social security numbers and identification to employers, they pay taxes when they get a pay check. They also pay taxes when they go to the store and when they pay property tax. All of these taxes which would be normally be reimbursed through retirement and Medicare cannot be acquired since they have given false documentation. Thus resulting in the Social Security administration having a surplus "in the 'earnings suspense file'--added up to 10 percent of the Social Security surplus. The file is growing, on average, by more than $50 billion a year" (Dalmia). This additional income for the country is not enough to counterbalance all of the costs that illegal immigrants impose on its host. provision

     Illegal immigrants impose more costs than what revenue is produced through taxes. In many cases, illegal immigrants do contractual services and don't receive formal pay checks and are paid "under the table" where no taxes are accounted for (Martin). In even worse circumstances, which account for a large portion of this population provide a large source of income for the underground economy. Also, the vast majority of immigrants, both legal and illegal make money and send it back to their families which live in country they came from. The endowment of Medicaid and other funding, which hurt the economy when provided to citizens, do so even more when illegal immigrants are obliged. There are so many ways in which illegal immigrants are accommodated by the U.S., which makes it easier to live with an illegal status and more detrimental to the American economy.

     It costs tax payers millions of U.S. dollars due to k-12 costs, supplemental aids, special food plans, college financial support, government support, and many other aspects that go into supporting illegal immigrants. It's improbable for non U.S. residents to receive benefits and funding intended for its citizens through false documentation or by meeting state residency requirements. America is falling further into debt by aiding illegal immigrants when it struggles to support itself and the people who live legally within.

Works Cited

Alexiev, Alex. "Catching up to Mexico: illegal immigration is depleting California's human capital and ravaging its economy." National Review 24 Aug. 2009: 22. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Kirsanow, Peter "It Is Cheaper for Illegal Immigrants to Attend U.S. Colleges than It Is for U.S. Citizens." Illegal Immigration. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Document

Lankford Jr, Ronald D. "Loans to Minorities Fueled the American Financial Crisis." Are America's Wealthy Too Powerful? Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Martin, Jack. "Illegal Immigrants Are Costing Public Schools Too Much." 2005. Rpt. in Illegal Immigration. Ed. Paul Hina. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Apr. 2011.

Shikha Dalmia, "Illegal Immigrants Are Paying a Lot More Taxes Than You Think: Eight Million Illegals Pay Social Security, Medicare, and Income Taxes," Knight Ridder/Tribune News Services, May 1, 2006. Reproduced by permission.