California Bears the Costs

from the SF Chronicle 1/31/17
Open Forum On Immigration
by David Benefiel

While it is popular with many Californians that Gov. Jerry Brown opposes President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, Brown should be honest and avoid fake news and “alternative facts.” Here are a few of the consequences of sheltering approximately 2.3 million illegal immigrants in California:

• Competition for affordable housing: 1.5 million Californians pay more than half their income for housing, a result of overcrowding.
• More than 20 million tons of greenhouse gases are added each year by undocumented residents. California’s annual per-capita carbon dioxide production is 10 metric tons/per person.
• Competition for low-wage jobs is increased. Middle-income employers can pay lower wages.
• Allowing illegal immigrants to live and drive contributes to wasted time in traffic and greenhouse gas production.
• English language learners in the classroom lower academic performance by diverting limited educational resources. California has almost 1.4 million English language learners, and has the highest student/teacher ratio of all the large states. California scores lower than average for the nation in reading, mathematics and science.
• Pointing these out does not mean someone is against continued nonenforcement of the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

When we decide we have a big heart and a liberal mind in welcoming mostly economic migrants, we should do this with our eyes wide open as to the long-term consequences for the poor, our schools and our environment.
David Benefiel lives in Sebastopol.