Commentary; Posted: 7/19/06
How serious is stateís immigration problem
By Don Heinzman
The issue of illegal immigrants in Minnesota already is rising to the surface in the race for Governor.
Gov. Tim Pawlentyís latest move of sending 200 National Guardsmen to help build a wall to keep out illegal immigrants fuels the debate.
Sending the National Guard to Mexico is the stateís response to a federal appeal for help. Some states have refused the call, but not Minnesota, even though it is closer to Canadian borders that do not have a high profile.
Sealing off the Mexican border apparently has support of people who rightfully oppose illegal immigrants breaking the law. Some argue terrorists could come by way of Mexico, although no one has proof.
Deploying 200 of the stateís 13,000 men and women in the National Guard wonít deplete the ranks and they wonít be doing any fighting.
Some might look upon Pawlentyís offer as a token, and suggest itís more of a political move.
The governor has been riding this immigration issue for several months, claiming there are between 75,000 to 100,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota. He hastens to add he appreciates the value legal immigrants bring to the economy and to the stateís labor force.
Last year at the governorís request, Commissioner of Administration Dana Badgerow produced a study saying that illegal immigrants are costing the state between $175 million and $188 million a year. The study said that children from those families are costing $146 to $158 million a year to educate in the public school system, in addition to $17 million for health care and $13 million for legal costs.
While Pawlenty has made the cost of illegal immigrants a campaign issue, the voters need to know the whole story.
Critics say that the report presents only one side, failing to account for benefits undocumented workers bring to the state. Commissioner Badgerow told a metropolitan daily that the study didnít look at the benefit side.
A report in Gente de Minnesota, a Spanish newspaper, comments that 8000 illegal immigrants file state income taxes using an ITIN number to add to the stateís resources. Illegal immigrants pay taxes through employer withholdings. Since they do not file state tax returns, the state and the federal government get the withheld amounts.
The newspaper reports on a study by James J. Kielkopf who interviewed employers and employees and came up with a method of calculating economic impact of illegal immigrants. Kielkopf says 48,000 undocumented workers paid $322 million into Social Security and $345 million in state taxes and fees in the year 2000.
If the stateís figure of 80,000 undocumented workers were true, they would have paid $518 million in Social Security and $575 million in state taxes and fees.
Pawlenty is proposing that there be a 10-member team to enforce immigration laws. He wants tougher penalties for anyone creating, possessing or selling false identification and he wants to increase fines for businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
His opponent, Attorney General Mike Hatch, says Pawlenty should enforce the labor laws on the books to fine businesses using undocumented workers.
The demand to enforce the laws isnít coming from the business community. The Center for Immigration Studies shows that of all firms in the country sanctioned by the old INS for using illegal workers, 1000 Minnesota firms in 69 counties were among them.
Considering contributions and labor undocumented workers provide, the question is being asked: How serious is this problem of illegal immigration in Minnesota?
There are other issues like congested highways, rising health care costs, rising educational costs and rising property taxes that deserve as much or more scrutiny in this upcoming campaign.
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