Illegal Immigration Costs Rising Fast

Illegal immigration is costing Arizona border counties millions a year for law enforcement and criminal prosecutions, diverting money from parks, libraries and other law-enforcement efforts, according to a study to be released Tuesday. The costs to the four border counties in Arizona increased 39 percent, from $19.2 million in fiscal 1999 to $26.6 million in fiscal 2006, researchers at the University of Arizona and San Diego State University found. For the nation's 24 border counties in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, the costs related to illegal immigration in fiscal 2006 were $192 million, more than double the costs in 1999.

The study was commissioned by the U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition, a non-profit group of border-county officials who want the federal government to reimburse their county jails and prosecutors offices for legal costs. The coalition, which began looking at the impact of illegal immigration on border counties in 1999, paid for the study using a Justice Department grant. Researchers estimate the costs of illegal immigration on county law enforcement borderwide at $1.2 billion in the past eight fiscal years.

• JJ Commentary: Keep in mind that these costs are only for law enforcement and criminal prosecutions. When you add emergency hospital care, education, welfare, etc. to the equation, the overall costs are humongous.