The Fiscal Impact of America's Foreign-Born Population
The Social Contract Press
On April 8, 2008, the Social Contract held a press conference at the National Press Club on the Fiscal Impact of America's Foreign-Born Population. For more information, see this review of the report's release, the press kit, and these photos.
The Winter, 2007-2008 Social Contract issue contains Ed Rubenstein's full report on the Fiscal Impact of America's Foreign-Born Population. See this VDARE.com article on the report and media coverage.
Press Conference Summary
FISCAL IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION IS $9,000 PER TAXPAYER
Grace Commission Architect, Ed Rubenstein, Addresses Press Conference in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. -- As tax day looms for Americans, two leading financial analysts released a new 70-page study, "The Fiscal Impact of Immigration: An Analysis of the Costs to 15 Federal Departments and Agencies," at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Edwin S. Rubenstein and Peter Brimelow presented the results of the new report, which was compiled by Rubenstein, president of ESR Research. Mr. Rubenstein was senior economist for W.R. Grace & Co. where he directed studies on federal government waste and inefficiency for the Grace Commission; and has been an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and research director of the Hudson Institute.
Rubenstein, along with Peter Brimelow, former senior editor for Forbes, former associate editor for both Barron's and Fortune, a columnist of MarketWatch.com, and editor of VDARE.com, outlined the findings in the new study at a News Conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Wayne Lutton, Editor of The Social Contract magazine, also spoke.
Federal agencies examined in the study are the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Interior, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Treasury, and State, in addition to Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration.
This first of its kind assessment of the fiscal impact of mass immigration on 15 Cabinet-level government departments and agencies concludes that these agencies spent $346.4 billion on immigration in 2007, a number comparable to the federal deficit. The report also finds that:
- Each immigrant costs taxpayers more than $9,000
- Each four-person immigrant household costs taxpayers $36,000
"The federal government has never done a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal impact of immigration," Edwin Rubenstein said. "Our report looks at the total costs of immigration - the cost of providing for the 37 million (legal and illegal) immigrants in the country today. We believe that every government agency, and most government programs, are impacted by immigration."
The report was published by The Social Contract magazine. It is available to all interested journalists.
Washington Times article
Report says immigration costly
by Hsin-Yin Lee, The Washington Times, April 9, 2008
More than 37 million immigrants in the United States, both legal and illegal, cost the federal government more than $346 billion last year, twice as much as the nation’s fiscal deficit, according to a report released yesterday.
“This is another nail in the coffin of economic growth,” said Edwin Rubenstein, director of research and president of ESR Research, which released the report. “There is absolutely no reason immigration policy shouldn’t be discussed on its economic merits.”...
(Read the complete article).
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The cost of illegals
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 28, 2008
A landmark study released this month quantifies the true costs of illegal aliens.
Edwin Rubenstein, noted economist and widely published business journalist, examined the budgets of 15 federal agencies. He discovered that immigration added costs to every one and virtually all government programs.
The bottom line is dripping with red ink.
Among Mr. Rubenstein's findings:
- Each illegal alien costs taxpayers more than $9,000
- Each four-person illegal alien household costs taxpayers $36,000
- The Bureau of Land Management annually spends about $1 million to mitigate the environmental damage done by illegals crossing the southern border.
- The federal government provides $250 million a year to help hospitals pay for aliens' emergency medical treatment.
- The feds annually give about $300 million to state and local governments to pay for criminal aliens who have flooded prisons. That covers less than 25 percent of the cost of incarceration...
(Read the complete article).
Phyllis Schalfly column
Immigration breaks backs of taxpaying U.S. citizens by Phyllis Schalfly, WorldNetDaily.com, April 18, 2008
Are you having a hard time paying your bills, making your mortgage payments or putting your kids through college? You need to know how much of your hard-earned income the government is skimming off and diverting into handouts to immigrants and illegal immigrants. You can read the depressing details in the new 70-page document called "The Fiscal Impact of Immigration: An Analysis of the Costs to 15 Federal Departments and Agencies," by Edwin S. Rubenstein, a Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow with a mile-long scholarly resume ..."
(Read the complete article).
Phyllis Schalfly column
How the Government Spends Taxpayers' Money by Phyllis Schalfly, Eafle Forum, April 23, 2008
Are you having a hard time paying your bills, making your mortgage payments, or putting your kids through college? You need to know how much of your hard-earned income the government is skimming off and diverting into handouts to immigrants and illegal aliens..."
It's hard to say which is more outrageous: the diversion of Americans' personal income into cash handouts to foreigners, or the federal government's policy of concealing the fiscal impact of immigration.
(Read the complete article).