[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         URBAN INSTITUTE REPORT ON COSTS OF UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, on September 14, the Urban Institute 
released the second part of its study on the fiscal impact of 
undocumented aliens in seven States, including my home State of 
Florida. The Urban Institute study was initiated by and prepared for 
the Office of Management and Budget [OMB], and its purpose is to 
develop both reliable estimates of States' costs for services provided 
to undocumented aliens and a uniform methodology for calculating these 
costs.
  The principle findings include:
  An estimated 3.4 million undocumented aliens lived in the United 
States in October 1992, and the population grew by an estimated 299,000 
each year between 1988 and 1992. Florida had 322,000 undocumented 
aliens, 9.5 percent of the total undocumented population and 2.3 
percent of the total State population.
  An estimated 21,395 illegal aliens were incarcerated as of March 
1994, at an annual cost of $471 million. The report estimated that 
Florida had 951 incarcerated illegal aliens and that Florida's cost of 
incarceration was $11.8 million.
  An estimated 641,000 undocumented alien children were enrolled in 
public primary and secondary schools at a total State and local cost of 
$3.1 billion. Florida had 97,000 undocumented aliens enrolled in public 
schools, 107 percent higher than the State's estimate of 47,000 
students. The estimated cost was $424 million, 135 percent higher than 
the State's estimate of $180 million.
  Although the report revealed that $1.9 billion was collected from 
undocumented aliens for sales, property, and State income taxes, in 
Florida, undocumented aliens paid only $277 million in taxes, less than 
2 percent of the total taxes collected.
  Mr. President, during the 103d Congress, I have worked with my 
colleagues from the six other States who are primarily impacted by 
Federal immigration policy in an attempt to force the Federal 
Government to live up to its responsibility. In many cases, we have had 
little success, and a major obstacle to our efforts has been the lack 
of reliable information about the numbers and costs of illegal 
immigration. I am hopeful that this report will finally put to rest any 
doubts about the true impact of illegal immigration on our State and 
local governments.
  The report overwhelmingly support Florida's estimates of the costs of 
providing services to illegal immigrants. In every category, the report 
found that Florida had either accurately or underestimated its costs. 
For years, Florida has repeatedly asked the Federal Government for 
assistance in bearing these costs, without adequate response. In March 
1994, as a last resort, the State filed a lawsuit against the Federal 
Government for the unreimbursed costs of providing education, law 
enforcement, and health care services to undocumented aliens.
  In the past month, Florida narrowly avoided a tidal wave of 
uncontrolled immigration from Cuba that threatened both the security of 
Florida communities and the lives or refugee rafters. Although a new 
agreement between Cuba and the United States promotes a legal, limited, 
and orderly process of immigration and lessens the threat of dangerous, 
illegal immigration, this policy represents a potential burden that 
Florida taxpayers should not be asked to shoulder. The agreement does 
not change Florida's most important priority: to compel the Federal 
Government to pay the price for the unfair burden immigration places on 
the State.
  As an article from the September 10 Miami Herald, States,

       Cuba and the United States talked for seven days. Now 
     Florida will pay the price. As the state with the highest 
     concentration of Cubans, Florida will attract the majority of 
     the approximately 29,000 refugees who will come from the 
     island over the next year. And the 20,000 every year after 
     that * * *. [Although] legal immigrants are eligible to 
     receive some cash, medical help, and job training from the 
     federal government, the aid runs out after eight months. Then 
     it's up to the state and local governments to step in.

  The Clinton administration was the first administration to take 
partical responsibility for the costs of illegal immigration. However, 
recent influxes of Cubans and Haitians have intensified the impact of 
immigration on Florida's communities, and the burden remains 
overwhelming. Alice Rivlin, the Acting Director of OMB, expressed her 
hope that this report will contribute to shaping the policy and 
budgetary decisions of the executive and legislative branches. I share 
her hope that this information will finally convince the administration 
and the Congress that our States and localities are facing an emergency 
situation and can no longer bear the burden alone.

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