Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Costs of enforcement

David Francis at the Christian Science Monitor write about an important point that I've raised periodically, and which gets far too little attention: the cost of immigration enforcement without reform.


Beside the moral, humanitarian, and legal issues surrounding illegal immigrants, their apprehension poses a sizable financial cost. In Arizona, police could arrest them under the new state law, but keeping them in already crowded jails costs roughly $100 a day per person. For 5,000 people, imprisonment costs could add up to $182.5 million a year. That's a hefty charge for a state struggling with a budget deficit of at least $368 million.
Presumably Arizona could save money by handing illegal immigrants over to the federal government for deportation. In fiscal 2008, the US deported 369,221 people. Deportations rose to 389,834 in 2009 under the Obama administration, and are predicted to reach 400,000 this fiscal year.
Whether Washington will pay for more deportations is problematic. The United States deports each year less than 4 percent of its estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. At that rate, it would take more than two decades to deport all of them.


One obvious conclusion is that even if the Arizona law is upheld, it simply won't be enforced.  The ultimate irony is that the law was written precisely because the federal government was passing laws it could not enforce.  States may well just be copying the blueprint of legislative failure.

4 comments:

Defensores de Democracia 10:35 AM  

Demography and the Decay of Great Nations : Why Japan failed to be the Greatest Economic Super Power as announced 40 years ago ?? - Why people are infertile or avoid Children ?? ... Are Americans Young or Old ??


Europe and China may also face the problem of an Old Population that has to be cared by less and less young people entering the work force. And when people are afraid of the economy they breed less and less. A vicious circle.

Nativists want to kick out all the Four Million "Anchor Babies" and I ask : Is that wise ??

Is it wise for the economy to expel and drive out a Population that is in Kinder, Elementary School, High School, etc ??? .... learning the secrets of American Science and Technology in plain American "Ugly" English ??


I am not going to answer that question, but I am going to tell you a Secret :

It has been found around the world that Immigrants are healthier than the native populations of the recipient country. Why ??

There are many explanations but the best may be these : Because Immigrants are self-selected and self-chosen for Good Health and for Good Spirits.

That may be the reason why Immigrants ( Legal or Illegal ) have more children : They are in better Health and better Spirits. They are more optimistic about the future. They devote their energies to establishing and raising a family, they can not waste time looking for scapegoats to their poverty or miserable life. They do not have the possibility of "hunting" scapegoats, they only have work and more work ahead. And working may be good for your health.

Another reason for Better Health of Immigrants ( and higher life expectancy ) may be better food customs, the ingestion of less cholesterol and fats, less alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc ... And they are more optimistic about the Future : "The Merry Immigrants" or "Immigrant Ethics".

And I am going to give you another Secret :

"In 2009 the median age of all US adults was 45.6 while that of unauthorized immigrants was 35.5 ( ten years less ) and thus in their childbearing years. Despite the fact that all immigrants accounted for 15.7% of the 2009 US population, immigrants in 2009 were "the parents of 23% of all children in this country ages 17 and younger." ( Source : Pew Hispanic Center )

So the Median Age of U. S. White Adults has to be much higher than 45.6 ... That is a Very Old White Population and a very young ( legal or illegal ) Immigrant Population.

Youth, Minorities, Demography and Politics :

Milenials.com

Vicente Duque

leftside 12:49 AM  

There's always enough money to lock up poor people. Prisons and police never get cut. Even in great liberal bastions like California, the current budget crisis has shown this to be true. In the City of LA, we're cutting parks and libraries (and loads more) but the LAPD can not be touched.

ConsDemo 7:01 AM  

One of the two phoniest arguments that the anti-immigration crowd makes is that it would be relatively easy to rid this country of illegal immigrants (the second is that those who remain--us legals--would enjoy spontaneous prosperity). A lot of like to harp on e-verify, as if that would do the trick itself. If they really stepped of verification of SSN's, I suspect the real result would be more people working off the books. Its funny that supposed "small government" conservatives seemed to infatuated with government efficacy if its for a reason they the support.

Defensores de Democracia 8:52 AM  

Professor Weeks :

It takes many hours to find good material for Civil Rights, and the fight for Humanity and Kindness, for Benevolence and Mercy. Thanks to you efforts.

In my blogs I have done research on the "Ancestors" and "Forebears" of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin in the topic of "Religious Hypocrisy"

In my story the famous "Mayflower" ship appears as an important reference but I absolve and acquit the "Plymouth Rock Pilgrims" of the Horrible Crimes of Oliver Cromwell committed many years later ( and the Puritans in those despicable attires and poor fashion ).

If your readers have a drop of Irish or Scottish blood then I do not need to persuade them on the Evil and Hypocrisy of the "Lord Protector".

History of Religious Hypocrisy and Religious Crimes : Calvin, Calvinism, Knox, Presbyterians, Puritans, Mayflower, Cromwell - History of Bigotry, Crime and Murder - Brutal Bastards

Vicente Duque

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