Amnesty Next - DAMN Rule of Law - Lindsay Graham OnBoard: Heritage Foundation Cost of Illegals

The deplorably consistent, seldom conservative, Senator Lindsay Graham is back on the amnesty bandwagon. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Graham (R-SC) have been drafting legislation for the president for months, and yesterday they trekked to the White House to get the latest marching orders. No matter the legislation penned, we have Congress damning the Rule of Law, and perhaps Tea Parties will take this up next. See the cost of illegal aliens in the U.S. from the Heritage Foundation, $89.1 billion ANNUALLY (below), and weep for our country.

Illegal Alien
 (thanks to Hyscience)

The president had some thoughts about what "a path toward citizenship for 10.8 million people" already in the U.S. illegally, should look like:

The basis of a bill would include a path toward citizenship for the 10.8 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Citizenship would not be granted lightly, the White House said. Undocumented workers would need to register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law. Failure to comply might result in deportation.

For laughable starters, consider the "failure to comply MIGHT result in deportation." Just a small indication of the lack of will for serious reform.


The good news is Schumer says Graham is the only Republican support he has found, and he needs a second Republican as co-sponsor for the legislation illegal legislation. 


Remember when Senator Tom Coburn entered an amendment to uphold the enforcement of EXISTING immigation laws?  Nineteen Republicans voted AGAINST respecting the Rule of Law. The amendment language was simple and straight-forward.

To require the enforcement of existing border security and immigrations laws and Congressional approval before amnesty can be granted.

Senator John McCain didn't show up for that vote. Senator Graham voted against it. At the same time, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the following amendment:

"...permanently bar from the U.S. and from receiving any immigation benefit: suspected terrorists, gang members, sex offenders, felony drunk drivers, and other individuals who are a danger to society.

Cornyn's amendment was defeated with the help of 10 Republicans voting against enforcing the Rule of Law.


The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a program known as Operation Predator, which hunts child predators across the U.S. In a document dated January 25, 2008, this statistic jumps out: 85% of the arrests made as part of Operation Predator have been arrests of non-citizen sex offenders...."


Think of the impact enforcing the Rule of Law would have had on the lives of thousands of children and families. In their first four years, ICE arrested 10,700 child predators. That means 9,095 of those children were the victims of illegal aliens. 


Our children remain victims of both illegal immigrant predators and well as the the financial burdens to families who must pay the cost of illegals. From The Heritage Foundation:

Of all adult high school dropouts, legal and illegal, in America:

 49% are illegals, 

25% are legal immigrants and 

9% are native-born Americans.  

The U.S. Government, funded by U.S. citizens, pays out an average of $30,160.00 per legal and illegal household with heads-of-households lacking a high school diploma. The $30,160.00-average paid represents social security benefits and Medicare, police, public safety, transportation, administrative support, public education and other means-tested aid.

"Means-tested aid came to $10,428 per household, while direct benefits (mainly Social Security and Medicare) amounted to $4,891. Education spending on behalf of these households averaged $8,462 per household, while spending on police, fire, and public safety came to $2,746 per household. Transportation added another $809, and administrative support services cost $1,195. Miscellaneous population-based services added a final $1,529."

Okay, you are saying...but these people pay taxes, yeah, but only about $10,500.00:

In return for handing-out $30,000.00+ per legal and illegal household, we receive from such households, a payment average of $10,573.00 in taxes. These paid-in taxes include federal highway taxes, unemployment insurance and workers compensation taxes, federal excise taxes and customs duties, state individual income tax, STATE LOTTERY PURCHASES (an average of $714.00 per household!), corporate income tax, state and local property taxes, federal individual income taxes, state and local sales and comsumption taxes and FICA "contributions." View this in Chart 3 of The Heritage Foundation Report.

 In addition to the $30,000+ hand-out from American citizens, it is estimated there are 1.6 workers per legal and illegal, unskilled household, each averaging $18,490 in earnings. This is an average of $29,584.00 annually in earnings, plus the $30,000+ courtesy of citizens. View this in Table 2 of The Heritage Foundation report.

Of course, there's always a bottom-line and, in this case, it is the deficit in dollars incurred to you and me. For each household, we say adios to an average of $19,588.00. View this in Chart 5 of The Heritage Foundation report. 

The "net lifetime cost," according to the Heritage Foundation is this:

"Receiving, on average, $19,588 more in immediate benefits than they pay in taxes each year, low-skill immi­grant households impose substantial long-term costs on the U.S. taxpayer. 

Assuming an average 60-year adult life span for heads of household,[24] the aver­age lifetime costs to the taxpayer will be nearly $1.2 million for each low-skill household, net of any taxes paid.[25] This calculation assumes that a low-skill immigrant comes to the U.S. in his mid-twenties with a spouse and that both remain in the U.S. for an average of 60 years. 

Even if low-skill immigrants return home rather than remain in the U.S. permanently, thereby reducing costs, this argument merely underscores how costly low-skill immigrants are to the U.S. taxpayer. The less time these immigrants spend in the U.S., the lower the cost to the taxpayer. 

Moreover, most current immigration reform proposals [2007] would grant legal status to illegal immigrants, increasing their access to welfare and Social Security. These proposals would substantially increase the time that these immigrants remain in the U.S."

From one of my previous posts: 
$19,588.00 x 4.54 MILLION such households is a total of $89.1 billion - $89.1 billion we give away, annually, to non-citizen, and knowing-lawbreakers. In addition:

"Over the next ten years, the net cost (benefits minus taxes) to the taxpayer of all low-skill immigrant households will approach one trillion dollars."

The Heritage Foundation, in Chart 7, shows that each and every age bracket RECEIVES far more than it PAYS IN, but as the households age, the deficit increases.

"There are currently 8 million non-elderly adult immigrants in low-skill immigrant households.[26] Assuming nor­mal mortality rates, perhaps 7 million of these individuals will live to age 67.[27] After reaching age 67, the normal life expectancy would be approximately 18 years. With an average net cost of roughly $270,000 over 18 years, the net future retirement costs of the 7 million low-skill immi­grants would be around $1.9 trillion."

"...low-skill households are net tax consumers even during their working years. It is important to note, these families are rarely idle; they consistently work and pay taxes. However, the taxes they pay are seldom, if ever, sufficient to cover the cost of the government benefits they receive. 

In consequence, these households must be continually subsidized by other taxpayers. Low-skill immigrants are among these problematic households. On average, they are a net fiscal burden throughout their working years, and after retirement they become an even greater tax burden. 

Politicians should be wary of any policy that will increase the future number of net tax consumers. Immigration policy, in particular, should be focused on increasing the number of positive taxpayers and reducing the future number of tax consumers."

According to the Heritage Foundation, the idea that illegals "contribute to the solvency of Social Security" is untrue. With all government benefits, these households "ten dollars in total government benefits for each dollar they pay in Social Security taxes."


Of the current push for legislation before the distraction of mid-term elections, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) said the things he hears "from the administration won't be well received," and the above from the Heritage Foundation should be a clear reminder of why American should strongly reject the idea of amnesty for illegals, no matter how the legislation is written. 


Another battleground for conservatives. If amnesty is next, than the Rule of Law in this country is deader than dead. 

Tip of the MaggieMae to Weasel Zippers

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