Immigration Reform Caucus

September 7, 2007

washington d.c. — The County of San Diego released a new report this afternoon revealing a $101 million a year price-tag resulting from the costs associated with illegal immigration.  The study also reported that the illegal immigrant population in San Diego County had more than doubled since 1990.

 “Just the healthcare and law enforcement costs alone associated with illegal immigration are costing San Diego County residents $101,494,401 million a year,” said Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-Carlsbad), Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus.  “That’s funding that could be otherwise spent on enhancing the lives of our seniors and children, providing additional resources for law enforcement and making overdue upgrades to our roads, public infrastructure and hospitals.”

The report specifically examined the healthcare and criminal justice costs that came out of the County’s General Fund for Fiscal Year 2006-07.  Of the $101 million that the County spent last year, more than $75 million could be attributed to the costs associated with the criminal justice impact of illegal immigrants, and the remainder $26 million was a result of the health and human service and environmental impacts associated with illegal immigration.  That figure did not include the $154 million cost incurred last year by San Diego County costs for emergency room treatment of illegal immigrants.

“When it comes to illegal immigration, the federal government is the biggest dead-beat dad in America,” Bilbray added.  “I am eager to work with Supervisor Bill Horn and our entire local team to fight for our fair share of federal dollars so that the taxpayer’s of San Diego County won’t be forced to subsidize the costs of illegal immigration just because the federal government isn’t doing its job.”