The Texan economy would be $18 billion poorer without illegal immigrants in the last year, says the report by the state comptroller.
The report -- billed as the first detailed look by a state at the impact of undocumented immigrants on its budget -- is likely to stir further debate on the emotional issue of illegal immigration in the United States.
The report says removing illegal migrants from the state would lead to a tighter labor market and higher wages.
"Without the undocumented immigrant population, Texas' workforce would decrease by 6.3 percent. ... The most significant impact would be a noticeable tightening in labor markets," the report says.
"This tightening would induce increases in wages. ... While pay increases can be viewed as a positive social and economic development, when they rise due to labor shortages they affect economic competitiveness. In this case, it would be expressed as a modest decline in the value of Texas' exports," it adds.
Interesting... Is it really worth sending illegal immigrants back? They are, afterall, contributing to U.S economy.
According to Strayhorn,
"Undocumented immigrants produced $1.58 billion in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in state services they received. However, local governments bore the burden of $1.44 billion in uncompensated health care costs and local law enforcement costs not paid for by the state."
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