The Startling Impact of Illegal Immigration in Florida

Jonathan Hanen, the Atlantic regional field representative from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) recently spoke to the Champions of Liberty Tea Party in Ft. Lauderdale, joined by members of F.L.I.M.E.N, and presented a comprehensive list of statistics which reveal the startling impact of illegal immigration in the state of Florida and the taxpayer’s ultimate burden.

Immigration by the Numbers

• Population (2011 Census Bureau estimate)            19,057,542
• Illegal Alien Population (2010 FAIR estimate)           820,000
• Illegal Alien Share (2010 FAIR estimate)                     4.3%
• Projected Population 2050 (2006 FAIR estimate)     31,750,000

Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Florida Data 2017

According to the Florida Dept. of Motor Vehicles, in 2017 there was an excess of 20 million registered motor vehicles.  They project by 2050 there will be 30% more residents in the state, which means 26 million more autos on the highway.  Does anyone believe that this is sustainable?

Cost to the Florida Taxpayer

There is an estimated 820,000 illegal aliens living in Florida and ‘in state’ and ‘local’ cost to the taxpayer of $5.5 billion.  F.A.I.R estimates that they may pay an estimated $261 million in taxes collected by the state, leaving a burden of more than $5.2 billion for Florida taxpayers to absorb.

Sanctuary Cities

The number of Sanctuary Cities and Counties in Florida has exploded to at least twelve.  They are:

• Broward County
• Miami-Dade County
• Herano County
• Hillsbourgh County
• Palm Beach County
• Pinellas County
• Pasco County
• DeLeon Springs
• Jupiter
• Lake Worth
• Deltona

Sanctuary cities have chosen to protect the illegal immigrant, despite the fact that he could have a criminal history or could be a terrorist that just snuck across the border.  What about the protection of the citizens and their families?

What Are Florida Taxpayers Supporting?

Illegal immigration has placed a $3.34 billion burden on the taxpayer for education, $660 million for healthcare, $579 million for law enforcement, $317 million for public assistance, and $568 million for general government services. These figures equate to $5.2 billion (2010), which amounts to $981 per household headed by a U.S. citizen.  We must remind those that support open borders that there is an ultimate burden each Florida family must bear and sacrifice for this.

In Florida, natives accounted for most of the increase in the working age population, (16-65), but more than half of the employment gains went to immigrants, (2000-2014). According to Floridians for Immigration Enforcement, (F.L.I.M.E.N.), since the jobs recovery began in 2010, 64% of net employment growth among the state’s working age population has gone to immigrants.  While agriculture is important to the state, it employs a tiny share of immigrant workers, less than one percent.

The supply of potential workers in Florida indicates that a half a million native-born college graduates were not working in the first quarter of 2014, as were one million with some college and 1.4 million with no more than a high school education.  The labor force participation of black, Hispanic and less educated worker show the biggest declines.

Illegal Alien Crime

In April of 2017, U.S. Customs Enforcement, I.C.E., arrested 73 criminal illegal aliens across Florida.  Of those arrested, 57 had criminal records including felonies for such crimes as sexual battery, child sex crimes, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and other weapons and drug violations.  According to I.C.E. 2016 records, they conducted 240,255 removals nationwide; 92% of those removed had previously been convicted of a crime.  In April, 2016, Miami-Dade authorities announced arrest warrants for 22 people suspected of laundering money for Mexican drug cartel kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.  In March, 2016, Feds arrested 26 suspected MS-13 gang members from the notoriously vicious South American Mara Salvatrucha international gang, seizing narcotics and 150 firearms in Miami-Dade County.  The impact of lives lost, crime and narcotic trafficking impacts all Floridians, despite age, gender or income level.

Floridians for Immigration Enforcement

FLIMEN has been actively encouraging E-Verify for all employers in the state of Florida and nationwide, requiring them to confirm the legal status of new hires.  By doing so, the job magnet would be squelched and illegal immigration could be curbed.  Unfortunately, after years of pushing this mandate, despite the fact that Florida has a Republican governor and legislature, E-Verify still has not be voted on.  Perhaps the special interest groups and employers in the state would rather turn a blind eye to the hiring of illegal immigrants over native Floridians.

Illegal immigration may have temporarily slowed down because of President Trump’s mandate to ‘Build The Wall’ on the southern border, however, the impact of illegal immigration has not dissipated, as every taxpayer is still burdened with the ultimate absorption of costs, decline in pay and quality of living as a result of years of illegal border crossings.

RELATED ARTICLES:

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Sanctuary Cities Promise to Grant Citizenship to 1 Million Immigrants in 2017

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