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Texas Official's Report Ignites a New Border Conflict
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn's report saying illegal immigrants add more to Texas's economy than they receive in benefits was called "outrageous" by a legislator.
(By Harry Cabluck -- Associated Press)
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Opponents said they went too far, and millions of illegal immigrants and their supporters marched in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Phoenix and other cities.
That is the environment that Strayhorn stepped into with her report and its bold introduction: "The Comptroller's report estimates that undocumented immigrants in Texas generate more taxes and other revenue than the state spends on them."
Drawing on estimates from a report by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, the report said 1.4 million to 1.6 million illegal immigrants live in Texas, about 14 percent of the U.S. total.
Texas has no state income tax, so immigrants pay sales and property taxes, along with various state fees. "Undocumented immigrants produced $1.58 billion in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in state services they received," Strayhorn reported.
Strayhorn, an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the last election, favors a guest-worker program, prompting criticism from opponents who say her report was motivated by politics.
FAIR said the report plays down the impact of illegal immigration by not counting the children of illegal immigrants who had become U.S. citizens. In a previous report, FAIR estimated that Texas schools paid more than $1.7 billion to educate illegal immigrants and the legal children of illegal immigrants in 2003-2004.
"This report is a slap in the face to anyone with common sense," Stein said.
Berman deferred to more conservative reports, such as one from the Lone Star Foundation in Austin. It says illegal immigrants drain $4.5 billion from the Texas economy, mostly in health-care costs.
"Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and the public hospital in Houston, has a 70 percent birth rate from illegal aliens," Berman said.
Trasviña of MALDEF said he hopes Strayhorn's report will compel other politicians to "reject divisive legislation" by Berman and others "aimed at forcing undocumented immigrants further into the shadows."
