This is no surprise to anybody who lives in Texas:
Half of immigrants in Texas are there illegally, study says — State has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations:
WASHINGTON — Half of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Texas are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies says in a report being released today.
Based on the latest Census Bureau data, the report said Texas has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. It said that 50 percent of the state’s foreign-born population — slightly more than 1.7 million people — are illegal immigrants. Only Arizona at 65 percent, North Carolina at 58 percent and Georgia at 53 percent had a higher proportion of illegal immigrants in their immigrant populations.
I think the half number is optimistic, as there are likely many, many more illegal immigrants in Texas than are even being counted.
Not a day goes by that I don’t encounter adults Hispanics that do not speak any English. They are working the register at McDonalds. They are the guy in front of me at the convenience store trying to buy gas, beer, and 2 hot dogs but not able to fully communicate with the English speaking clerk.
Since the ability to speak English is a requirement to become a naturalized citizen, it’s not a far leap to assume that these non-English speaking adults are most likely illegal immigrants.
Why do I care?
The last seven years have been the highest period of immigration in American history,” the report said. “Immigrants and their young children (under 18) now account for one-fifth of the school-age population, one-fourth of those in poverty and nearly one-third of those without health insurance.”
Immigration accounts for nearly all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the past two decades, the report said. In 2007, there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States — about one in five of the nation’s school-age kids.
Guess who’s paying ever-increasing property taxes to pay for the education of illegal immigrant children? Guess who’s paying the medical bills associated with their uninsured visits to the hospital? Or guess who pays when you’re in an accident with an uninsured illegal immigrant (as my wife was last month)? Guess who pays for the increase in crime that many illegal immigrants bring with them (the drug and human smuggling/sex trades are thriving from illegals in Texas)?
Who’s paying? Me.
What more can be said. We’re seeing it here in Kansas too. I don’t think there’s any state that isn’t touched. Another problem is that they’re moving to little towns who don’t have the schools, social systems, affordable housing, jails etc. and they are overwhelming them with costs that the taxpayer cannot afford.
It’s no wonder this is such a hot issue. We’ve reached the boiling point.
Left by Dianne on November 29th, 2007 at 4:09 pm