With states straining under gaping budget shortfalls, public schools throughout the country are facing some of the most significant decreases in state education funding in decades. In some states, drastic cuts mean layoffs for teachers, larger class sizes, fewer textbooks, and eliminating sports, language programs and after-school activities. Nearly two-thirds of the states have cut back or proposed reductions in support for child care and early childhood programs. Some are even shortening the school week from five days to four.

While these massive budget deficits cannot be attributed to any single source, the enormous impact of large-scale illegal immigration cannot be ignored. The total K-12 school expenditure for illegal immigrants costs the state $7.4 billion annually — enough to buy a computer for every junior high student available.

With state budgets in crisis and children taking the hit, communities’ limited tax dollars are being diverted to accommodate mass illegal immigration. In some states, the amount of money spent to educate illegal alien children accounts for a substantial portion of the state budget shortfall.  In New Jersey, for instance, it accounts for 28 percent of the total state budget deficit.

The data presented here provide yet one more illustration of the costs of turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and should provide further impetus for states to demand that the federal government finally take effective and decisive action to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration laws.

Mike Gordon

Albert Lea