Comments on: Paying for Illegal Immigration

By: Luke Lea

Luke Lea — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 21:14:36 +0000

If you were a poorly educated, slow-witted common laborer struggling to pay the rent and feed a couple of kids, who has no health insurance, and is forced to drive an uninsured rattle-trap of a car to work because it is all you can afford, then I bet you wouldn’t be so quick to say that is “the states” who bear most of the costs of illegal immigration. You would say you were. And you would have a point.

By: -keith in mtn. view

-keith in mtn. view — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 15:53:20 +0000

It would be a good deal for California, but the CA State Legislature is also complicit in drowning the State in red-ink by promoting and extending all the handouts and benefits to illegal aliens.

By: dude

dude — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 14:04:35 +0000

The US should raise taxes on those industries that use illegal immigrants. Since farming, construction and other low-wage, low-skill sectors lure illegals in to undercut the minimum wage and other laws protecting workers, they should pay for it.

By: Sandy P

Sandy P — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 04:20:36 +0000

A suggestion was made on a blog, maybe here, that we should deduct the cost from our humanitarian aid to said countries.

Especially since Mexico’s wells seem to be running dry at this point in time.

By: mariana

mariana — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:43:34 +0000

What about lawsuits? Has this issue ever been explored in the courts?

I was wondering if it was possible to file a class action lawsuit against the government consisting of the victims of crime, fraud, etc perpetrated by illegal aliens. If the government had to pay every victim money, they might eventually decide to stop illegal immigration. Perhaps hospitals and state governments should start suing construction companies and other businesses for the hospital bills incurred by illegal immigrants hurt on the job?

What would happen if the state of California refused to send any of its tax dollars to the federal government? Could they do that? How?

By: Brett Bellmore

Brett Bellmore — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:21:22 +0000

Cool idea, but if it were possible to force the federal government to pay these costs, wouldn’t it also be possible to just cut to the chase, and force the federal government to secure the borders?

The problem is that the states, as a result of the 17th amendment, are utterly lacking in any leverage over the federal government. They can’t force it to do ANYTHING.

The feds hold all the cards save one: The power to call for a constitutional convention. And I wonder if the states did call for one, whether the federal government would comply?

If the states called for a constitutional convention, and Congress decided that the delegates would be… the states’ congressional delegations, does anybody want to bet the courts wouldn’t call the issue non-judiciable?