True Cost of Immigrant Benefits

Arlington County Board Member J. Walter Tejada is cited in an article titled, 'Immigrants' Benefits to be Debated' in the Virginian-Pilot. "The cost of undocumented immigrants to Virginia taxpayers will be debated by legislators during the upcoming General Assembly session, which opens Wednesday."

On the one hand, some legislators say "the reforms are needed for the state’s safety and because immigrants are stretching thin government resources earmarked for public benefits." On the other hand, "some Hispanic leaders in Virginia think the initiatives are largely directed at Latin American immigrants, and they question legislators’ motives."

“Where is the evidence that they’re draining the system?” asked Walter Tejada, chairman of the Virginia Latino Advisory Commission. He called the proposed measures mean-spirited and divisive. “If you’re just saying this because you think people who look a certain way and have a certain accent are a problem, then that’s another context,” he said. Tejada stressed that he does not support illegal immigration and believes the federal government must pass comprehensive immigration reform. But to find solutions statewide, he said, legislators also must weigh how legal and unauthorized immigrants contribute to the state’s economy. “Some people like to paint it as, 'Let’s just get rid of all of them,’ ” Tejada said. “If you have that mentality, we really cannot work constructively.”

The article also highlights the impact on higher education and how much public money is at stake:

• “Last year, a bill was introduced to prohibit unauthorized immigrants from attending state universities, but it was killed. Some college-age youth who would be affected were brought to the United States unlawfully by their parents and have spent most of their lives here. Tejada said denying young people a college education is relegating them to second-class status.”

• “It is unknown exactly how much public money is spent on undocumented immigrants. A 2003 study by the state Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that the use of major social service benefit programs by Virginia’s foreign-born residents is negligible. “We have had, and continue to have, policies in place that prevent undocumented aliens from obtaining public assistance benefits,” said Duke Storen, director of benefit programs for the state Social Services Department. “We really don’t have this problem that some purport that we do.”

(In fact, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study states that “Review of available data shows that Virginia’s foreign-born population is an integral part of the Virginia economy. ... costs associated with disproportionate usage of services by the foreign-born appear minor.”)