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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, In 1995, the Center for Immigration Studies |
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estimated the annual cost of immigration to Americans at a net $29 |
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billion, with the costs divided between direct expenditures for |
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programs for immigrants and the increased costs of education, |
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health care, and welfare programs attributable to the added demand |
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posed by immigrant populations; and |
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WHEREAS, As staggering as that figure was in 1995, when the |
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number of immigrants living in the United States totaled 24.3 |
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million, today's costs are considerably higher, given the recent |
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acceleration in the rate of immigration and the 45 percent increase |
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in this population over the past decade; and |
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WHEREAS, The sheer size of this population, which had grown |
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to 35.2 million by March 2005, combined with its current rapid rate |
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of growth, poses serious socioeconomic challenges to communities |
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and governments at all levels by placing an undue burden on their |
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already limited budgetary resources and further straining their |
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health and human services and criminal justice systems as well as |
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their educational and correctional facilities; and |
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WHEREAS, Given its proximity to Central America and the |
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1,254-mile border it shares with Mexico, Texas bears a |
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disproportionate share of the burden when it comes to paying the |
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cost of immigration, both legal and illegal; during the past |
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decade, a surge of immigration mirroring the national trend brought |
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Texas' foreign-born population to 3.4 million, or about 15.1 |
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percent of the state's population; of this total, an estimated 1.4 |
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million were undocumented illegal aliens; and |
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WHEREAS, Because illegal immigrants generally have little |
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formal education, this population consequently also shares |
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socioeconomic disadvantages that not only contribute to widespread |
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poverty among their number but also make them more likely to burden |
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state welfare and health care programs and, in some cases, the state |
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criminal justice system; and |
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WHEREAS, The prevalence of poverty among illegal aliens is |
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more pronounced in Texas, which already has the second-highest |
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number of illegal aliens among the 50 states; nearly three-quarters |
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of Texas' illegal aliens live in or near poverty; consequently, |
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welfare use and the incidence of uninsured individuals among |
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illegal immigrants are higher in Texas than in most other states; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, While the federal government provides some funding |
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to states to help them with certain costs incurred in dealing with |
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illegal aliens, the amount of federal assistance that Texas |
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receives remains woefully inadequate; and |
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WHEREAS, For example, Texas receives funds from the federal |
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State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which was created |
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to compensate states and local governments for the incarceration of |
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certain undocumented aliens, but Texas' share of funding has |
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declined sharply both in terms of the total amount and as a share of |
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the state's actual expenses; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1999, Texas received nearly $59 million in SCAAP |
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funding, or 38.6 percent of its costs for 7,854 prisoner years of |
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detention; within three years, the reported illegal detention rate |
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had risen 73 percent, to 13,586 prisoner years, but Texas SCAAP |
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funding fell by 12 percent to less than $52 million, and that total |
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fell by more than half two years later; and |
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WHEREAS, Similarly, the federal government, under the |
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Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, requires hospitals to |
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treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs |
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regardless of citizenship status or ability to pay; in 2003, the |
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U.S. Congress passed a measure to appropriate $250 million per year |
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for four years to help offset states' costs of providing this |
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service to illegal aliens, with the funding allocated on the basis |
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of each state's estimated illegal population and other related |
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data, yet the total amount compensates only a fraction of the |
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states' outlay, and in 2004, Texas received an amount of less than |
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$48 million; and |
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WHEREAS, While securing the nation's borders, instituting |
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immigration policy reforms, and enforcing immigration laws are |
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federal responsibilities, the federal government's laxity in this |
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regard has placed an undue financial burden on those states with the |
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largest numbers of illegal aliens; to the extent that Texas' burden |
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is attributable to the federal government's default on these |
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matters, it is only reasonable to expect that the federal |
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government provide Texas the funding it needs to meet these |
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obligations; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the Office of the Attorney General of Texas to pursue |
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all available remedies, including but not limited to initiating a |
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suit or joining other states in a suit against the United States |
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attorney general, to demand the enforcement of all existing federal |
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immigration laws by the federal government and to recover any money |
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owed Texas by the federal government for costs incurred by the state |
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in dealing with illegal immigration; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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copy of this resolution to the attorney general of Texas. |