BURDEN OF MEDICAL COSTS ON STATES A FALL OUT OF THE FAULTY IMMIGRATION RULES

The issue of illegal immigrants and their statistics in the US has attracted widespread attention after the domestic debate on the new immigration Bill reached a new crescendo as the House of Representatives is set to take a call on it.

It is in the open that 11 million is the estimated number of immigrants living in the US illegally—and it is at the core of the Illegal immigration statistics reform debate.

Some 26 years ago, when Ronald Reagan signed an amnesty for 3 million immigrants many people argued there were three to four times immigrants living in the country without proper documents.

Labour Department data includes workers’ country of origin. That number of immigrants is subtracted from the number of legally admitted immigrants as per federal immigration statistics. After statistical the current figure of 11 million as illegal immigrants was reached.

As for the cost of Illegal Immigration Statistics, under the provisions of the Bill undocumented immigrants would be charged $2,000 in fines before becoming permanent residents. It has to be paid in instalments of $500 each. They also have to bear the fees to cover processing of applications and any assessed federal taxes.

A study says the U.S. economy would benefit if immigrants granted citizenship as immediate citizenship would add $1.4 trillion to the economy through increased tax revenue and job growth.

There is proof in that argument as California governor Jerry Brown has urged the Gang of Eight to shorten the period of waiting for citizenship to illegal immigrants as the delay means that his state is spending $600 million annually in health care costs for illegal immigrants.

In 2012 alone, California spent more that $500 million covering emergency room fees and other health services for illegal immigrants who are not eligible for Medicaid and other federal programs.

As per the provisions in the current immigration reform proposal, undocumented citizens are ineligible for Medicaid, food stamps and other such programs until they have lived in the United States for 10 years.