July 18, 2013 - IMMIGRATION BILL POTENTIAL FINANCIAL DISASTER FOR U.S.

Reports indicate that the Senate Immigration bill if passed will press state budgets to the maximum including cost of policy changes by the new influx of immigrants from Mexico on especially on hospitals, clinics and schools.  (National Conference of State Legislatures).

There is a shortage of funding for immigration proposed programs in the Bill that the states will have to pay. The previous immigration law in 1986 provided 3 million unauthorized immigrants to stay in the U.S. legally  cost some $4 billion dollars to help states pay for federal programs. 


New screenings for legal status and other immigration overhaul issues according to U.S. House Speaker, John Boehner (Rep.Ohio) says his chamber will not take up the Senate Proposal but will work on separate bills, covering different aspects of an immigration overhaul.

The Senate bill says that unauthorized immigrants have to learn English to get a "green card" for lawful permanent residence; a spokesman for the Migration Policy Institute says about half of unauthorized  immigrants do not speak English; thus 4 million or more immigrants will need English instruction.

The Senate bill also indicates that immigrants would have to wait 13 years to receive medicaid benefits, thus, with little medical funds available,  Emergency Rooms will service immigrants who need medical attention, not necessarily for emergency care.

In reference to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, the federal government pays only 18% of costs incurred to cover criminals housed in local incarceration facilities before deportation.  The total cost is estimated $l.3 Billion, the Feds pick up $240 million...the state has to pick up the rest of the tab.

For higher education, some 15 states in the U.S. let undocumented students pay in-state tuition, but others may quality for cheaper rates if they gain permission to stay in the country. The Senate bill also repeals a law that bars states from giving unauthorized immigrants  post-secondary subsidies for schools themselves. 
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