Floridians for a Sustainable Population
(FSP)
is a non-profit, statewide
organization of concerned environmentalists. We believe that
unrestrained population growth is the chief factor in the development
sprawl that is eating up our wetlands, our forests and our necessary
agricultural acreage. To keep our rivers, our shorelines and
our reefs healthy and productive, we must address the impact
of rapid population growth on our quality of life and the potential
for a sustainable Florida for our grandchildren.
We invite you to browse our links and gather some information on this vital issue. And then, we hope you will join us in our efforts to achieve an equitable balance of people and resources in Florida.
Because the major propellant of U.S. population growth is our current U.S. immigration policies, both legal and illegal (which is also pushing the 1,000 a day influx into Florida), FSP is committed to urgently advocating immigration reforms this year. (See our Mission link.)
Please see our Featured Article, "Is Immigration an Environmental Issue?"
THE TOO MUCH
GROWTH CAMPAIGN NEEDS YOU!
FSP has a mission this year to bring more Floridians into the concerned and activist column on the growth issue. Every community is suffering from too much growth, and piecemeal efforts are not enough to overcome the unbridled influence of developers on elected officials.
Click here: Too Much Growth and download our campaign brochure. We hope you will use these documentaries in your community.
COSTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
TO FLORIDIANS
Executive Summary (Revised 10/05)
Analysis of the latest Census data indicates Florida's illegal immigrant population is costing the state's taxpayers nearly two billion dollars per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated taxes collected from illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to nearly one billion dollars per year. The annual fiscal burden amounts to about $315 per Florida household headed by a native-born resident.
This analysis looks specifically at the costs to the state for education, health care and incarceration resulting from illegal immigration. These three are the largest cost areas, and they are the same three areas analyzed in a 1994 study conducted by the Urban Institute, which provides a useful baseline for comparison a decade later. Other studies have been conducted in the interim, showing trends that support the conclusions of this report.
There are other significant costs associated with illegal immigration, and federal and state officials should take these into account as well. Even without accounting for all of the numerous areas in which costs associated with illegal immigration are being incurred by Florida taxpayers, the program areas analyzed in this study indicate that the burden is substantial and that the costs are rapidly increasing.
The nearly two billion dollars in costs incurred by Florida taxpayers annually result from outlays in the following areas:
- Education. Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Florida and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Floridians spend more than $1.5 billion annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S.-born siblings. About 8.7 percent of the K-12 public school students in Florida are children of illegal aliens.
- Health Care. Taxpayer-funded, unreimbursed medical outlays for health care provided to the state's illegal alien population amount to about $165 million a year.
- Incarceration. The uncompensated cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in Florida's state and county prisons amounts to about $155 million a year (not including local jail detention costs or related law enforcement and judicial expenditures or the monetary costs of the crimes that led to their incarceration).
State and local taxes paid by the unauthorized immigrant population go toward offsetting these costs, but they do not come near to matching the expenses. The total of such payments can generously be estimated at about $910 million per year.
The fiscal costs of illegal immigration do not end with these three major cost areas. The total costs of illegal immigration to the state's taxpayers would be considerably higher if other cost areas such as special English instruction, welfare programs used by the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens, or welfare benefits for American workers displaced by illegal alien workers were also calculated.
Read the full report
Source: FairUSA.org
Principles for Immigration Reform
1. The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.
2. Since immigration policy can profoundly shape a country, it should be set by deliberate actions, not by accident or acquiescence, with careful consideration to ensure that it does not adversely affect the quality of life of American citizens and their communities.
3. Immigration policy should be based on and adhere to the rule of law. Immigration laws must be enforced consistently and uniformly throughout the United States.
4. Non-citizens enter the United States as guests and must obey the rules governing their entry. The U.S. government must track the entry, stay, and departure of all visa-holders to ensure that they comply fully with the terms of their visas, or to remove them if they fail to comply.
5. The borders of the United States must be physically secured at the earliest possible time. An effective barrier to the illegal entry of both aliens and contraband is vital to U.S. security.
6. Those responsible for facilitating illegal immigration shall be sought, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and shall forfeit any profits from such activity. This applies to smugglers and traffickers of people, as well as to those involved in the production, procurement, distribution, or use of fraudulent or counterfeit documents.
7. U.S. employers shall be given a simple and streamlined process to determine whether employees are legally eligible to work. Employers who obey the law shall be protected both from liability and from unfair competition by those who violate immigration law. The violators shall be subject to fines and taxes in excess of what they would have paid to employ U.S. citizens and legal residents for the same work.
8. Those who enter or remain in the United States in violation of the law shall be detained and removed expeditiously. Illegal aliens shall not accrue any benefit, including U.S. citizenship, as a result of their illegal entry or presence in the United States.
9. No federal, state or local entity shall reward individuals for violating immigration laws by granting public benefits or services, or by issuing or accepting any form of identification, or by providing any other assistance that facilitates unlawful presence or employment in this country. All federal and law enforcement agencies shall cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities, and shall report to such authorities any information they receive indicating that an individual may have violated immigration laws.
10. Illegal aliens currently in the United States may be afforded a one-time opportunity to leave the United States without penalty and seek permission to reenter legally if they qualify under existing law. Those who do not take advantage of this opportunity will be removed and permanently barred from returning.
Source: NumbersUSA.com